TEHRAN-The Iranian-Italian short film “Psychicken” directed by Ata Mojabi is competing in an Italian festival now and in a few days will take part in a Spanish festival.

The 14-minute short is now present at the 12th FIPILI Horror Festival in Livorno, Italy, ILNA reported.

“Psychicken” is a surreal neo-noir fantasy silent short film that shows the cruelty of fate by giving a life lesson to a prowler.

It tells the story of a thief who commits a horrific crime during robbery and then flees, but he notes that someone is chasing him. The man is tormented by a baby chicken that follows him everywhere.

Based on Fyodor Dostoyevsky's “The Crime and Punishment,” it was shot in real locations in the historical cities of Iran to combine Iranian architecture with film noir style.

A co-production of Iran and Italy, the flick was the winner of two international pitching competitions in Oscar-qualifying film festivals (Tehran International Short Film Festival in Iran and In the Palace International Short Film Festival in Bulgaria).

The main cast includes Susan Maghsoudlou and Ebrahim Azizi.

Having started October 27, the FIPILI Horror Festival that will conclude on October 31, awarding the winners in different categories.

The FIPILI Horror Festival is a festival of the fear in cinema and literature. One of a kind, this cultural event has a particular focus on the “Fear” in all its forms and nuances: film showings of movies and short movies (horror, thriller, fantasy and sci-fi as genres) for the cinematographic area; the presentation and the reading of works for the literary area, besides art exhibitions and theatrical performances.

Soon after the Italian festival is over, “Psychicken” will attend the 42nd Molins Horror Film Festival in Barcelona, Spain, slated for November 3-12.

Known as TerrorMolins, the Festival consists of a competitive Feature Films Official Sections, Short Films Official Section, Retrospectives, Documentaries, Live shows, Workshops, Networking/Pitching, projections for high-schools, and projections for children.

It is one of the oldest festivals dedicated solely to horror in Spain and in Europe.

Mojabi is one of Iran's most talented and appreciated up-and-coming directors and screenwriters. He graduated with an M.A. in screenwriting and currently cooperates with the Iranian Youth Cinema Society as an expert. 

He debuted as a director with his first short film “Swear by the Night” (2003) at the age of 16, which was selected to the 25th Tehran International Short Film Festival, while his last short film “No One Believes Me But the Police Are Chasing the Wrong Man” (2019) premiered at the 45th Seattle International Film Festival.

SS/SAB