TEHRAN- The Iranian drama “Paper Dream” directed by Ali Atshani has been selected as the opening film of the International Thai Film Festival (ITFF) 2023.

The movie will be screened at Bangkok Art & Culture Centre in Thailand on September 20, ILNA reported.

“Paper Dream” narrates the poignant tale of a young man living in seclusion due to his albinism. However, his life takes an unexpected turn when a cunning young girl exploits his pure-hearted nature and transforms him into a social media influencer. As their bond deepens, he finds himself captivated by her.

The film’s captivating storyline has already earned recognition at various international film festivals, including the Bridge Film Festival in Vancouver, the World Film Carnival in Singapore, and the Newark International Film Festival in the United States. 

It has clinched the Best Director Award at the South Texas International Film Festival in Edinburg, and the Best Film Award at three festivals including the Black Hat Film Festival in Budapest, Hungary, the Independent Producers Indie Film Festival (IPIFF) in Bucharest, Romania, and the Athens International Film & Art Festival in Greece.

Amirhossein Mousavi, Kamran Tafti, Mina Vahid, Bita Atshani, Zeinab Mallaki, Ayeh Ghobadian, Majid Mahindoost, and Amirhossein Rezazadeh are in the cast among others.

ITFF is an internationally recognized film industry event in Thailand. It is both a film screening event and film entertainment industry expo. Alongside screenings of a wide variety of films, there are Panel Talks session, networking opportunities and the ITFF Award Ceremony.

The ITFF Competition is a film, animation and video competition for industry professionals and amateurs alike, who are passionate about filmmaking and wish to screen their work and compete for ITFF Awards to gain a wider recognition and reputation in the industry. 

On September 21, Atshani will take part in a panel talk session along with four other filmmakers including Australian and Hungarian film director and producer Attila Peter Miklosy, South Korean director Jae Hyun Park, Russian director and producer Yana Klimova-Yusupova, and Thai director Wasin Pokpong.

Atshani, 45, is an Iranian film director, producer and screenwriter. So far, he has made nine feature films, winning several awards inside the country and overseas.

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