TEHRAN-Six movies from Iran will compete in the 10th Middlebury New Filmmakers Festival (MNFF), slated to be held from August 21 to 25 in Vermont, the U.S.

The Iranian films participating in the festival include the feature films “Maestro” directed by Emad Hosseini and “Terrestrial Verses” co-directed by Ali Asgari and Alireza Khatami, the short films “Spider-Zan” written and directed by Maryam Khodabakhsh and “Witness” directed by Aida Tebianian, and the short animations “The Corridor” written and directed by Kourosh Mohammadi and “The Cage” written and directed by Hamideh Motavalizadeh, Honaronline reported.

“Maestro” tells the story of Golnoosh, a girl who aspires to study at a prestigious university in Austria. She needs a recommendation letter from her professor, Nima Edris. When she visits his house to collect the letter, Nima harasses her, causing her to leave abruptly without the crucial document. Distressed and humiliated, Golnoosh confides in her fiancé, Alireza. Outraged by the incident, Alireza decides to confront Nima and seek retribution for his actions.

In “Terrestrial Verses,” people from all walks of life navigate the cultural and institutional constraints imposed on them by various social authorities, from school teachers to bureaucrats. These stirring vignettes, humorous and affecting, capture the spirit and determination of people amidst adversity, offering a nuanced portrait of a complex society.

Made in 2023, “Spider-Zan,” 13 minutes, depicts Negar, a young woman with a conspicuous scar on her cheek, who confronts a dilemma as she prepares for her marriage proposal ceremony. She must find a way to conceal her scar, navigating the complexities of societal expectations and personal identity.

Produced in 2023, “Witness,” 15 minutes, is about a young girl named Shermin who wants to save her father’s life, but wandering in the dilemma of choosing between fear and conscience, she finally makes a difficult decision.

In the 9-minute animation “The Corridor,” a body that is completely disjointed is trying to put its pieces back together. On this path, it succeeds in creating a collage of itself.

The 4-minute animation “The Cage” depicts a city, where everyone has a cage on their head until one person realizes this by accident and wants to make others aware.

The Middlebury New Filmmakers Festival is all about showcasing the outstanding work of first- and second-time filmmakers.

Over its first nine years, MNFF has been incredibly fortunate to attract a diverse array of passionate new filmmakers from around the world working across all genres who are creating brilliant work. It seeks out compelling and memorable stories about underrepresented communities. It encourages risk-taking and boundary-breaking in the films. And, at the heart of it all, MNFF offers a festival environment that is genuinely and deeply supportive of the emerging new voices in independent filmmaking. 

This year’s edition of the festival will screen more than 120 films, a diverse array of features and shorts across all genres.

The Middlebury New Filmmakers Festival is a juried competition and the winning filmmakers all receive the coveted VTeddy Award in the Best Narrative Feature, Best Narrative Short, Best Documentary Feature, Best Documentary Short, Audience Award-Feature and Audience Award-Short categories. MNFF also offers multiple cash prizes and valuable in-kind awards to selected directors.

With roughly 10,000 film festivals worldwide, MNFF is proud to have been consistently selected as a Top 100 Best Reviewed Festival by the principal global film submission and viewing platform, FilmFreeway, in the past eight years.

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