TEHRAN - The 2024 Iranian drama romance television miniseries “At the End of the Night” directed by Ida Panahandeh will compete in the 40th Valencia International Film Festival - Cinema Jove, set to be held from June 19 to 28 in Spain.

It is the second international presence for the Iranian series, after participating in the Series Mania festival in France in March, ILNA reported.

Written and produced by the real-life creative couple Panahandeh and Arsalan Amiri, the nine-episode series delicately and skillfully dissects the separation of a couple shattered by the disillusionment of their social situation.

After a decade of economic austerity, a middle-class couple has managed to buy an apartment on the outskirts of Tehran – but financial issues and the traps of married life catch them, and they must now face the consequences of their separation: divorce, and everything that it implies.

A powerful and bitter reflection on the sacrifices of a life together, the Iranian miniseries stands out for its deeply authentic characters and the exceptional performances of its two lead actors, Parsa Pirouzfar and Hoda Zeinolabedin.

The other cast members include Rayan Sarlak, Alireza Davoudnezhad, Reza Behboudi, Ehteram Boroumand, Siamak Safari, Kazem Hajirazad, and Nahid Moslemi, among others.

Ida Panahandeh, 46, was born in Tehran. She holds a master's degree in film direction from the Arts University of Tehran. In 2009, she took part in the Berlin Talent Campus.

Throughout her work, she has focused on women's rights. This she did with her debut feature film “Nahid” (2015), which won her worldwide acclaim. It was screened in the Un Certain Regard section at the 2015 Cannes Film Festival, where it won a special prize (Prix DE l'Avenir) and was released in France by Memento Films. “Nahid” was also released in theatres in many European countries afterward.

Her second feature “Israfil” (2017) was screened at the BFI London Film Festival and won several awards at international festivals.

“The Nikaidos' Fall” (2018), her third feature, is a co-production of Japan and Hong Kong with Naomi Kawase as the executive producer. The film debuted at the Nara International Film Festival and was released in Japan in January 2019, and then in a few East Asian countries.

“Titi” (2020), her fourth feature film, premiered at the 33rd Tokyo International Film Festival. It won three awards at the national and international festivals in 2022.

The Valencia International Film Festival – Cinema Jove is a festival that takes place annually in Valencia in June. It is accredited by the FIAPF in the category of “Specialized Competitive Festivals”.

The festival is a forum for young international filmmakers to meet, and its vocation is to showcase the best international cinema directed by young people.

SS/SAB