TEHRAN – Five Iranian films will go on screen at the 71st edition of Melbourne International Film Festival, which will be held in the Australian city from August 3 to 20. 

“Subtraction”, “Terrestrial Verses” and “No Bears” will go on screen in the main section of the festival.

Directed by Mani Haqiqi, “Subtraction” follows driving instructor Farzaneh, when she spots her husband on the streets of Tehran, even though he is supposed to be out of town on a business trip, she naturally suspects the worst. Following him, Farzaneh’s fears are seemingly confirmed when she sees him visiting another woman. With that woman’s husband also suspecting something is awry, the situation erupts into violence. Yet, all is not quite what it seems. 

Taraneh Alidoosti and Navid Mohammadzadeh deliver compelling, psychologically driven performances in Haqiqi’s highly anticipated follow-up to his black comedy “Pig”.

“Terrestrial Verses” by Ali Asgari begins with a controversy over the naming of an infant and moves through stories of everyday people facing off against the system, from a frustrated, politically censored filmmaker to a teenage girl who – in one of the film’s most daring episodes – confronts her school after being caught with a boy on a motorcycle.

“No Bears” by Jafar Panahi is a docudrama about a Turkish couple who are procuring fake passports to cross the border into Europe.

“Mast-del” by Maryam Tafakori and “48 Hours” by Azadeh Musavi will also be screened in the short films section of the festival. 

Photo: Taraneh Alidoosti acts in a scene from “Subtraction”.

ABU/