TEHRAN – Iranian director Farnush Samadi has been selected as a member of the Meeting Point jury at the SEMINCI – Valladolid International Film Festival in Spain.

Spanish director José Luis Montesinos and Argentinian actress Romina Paula are members of the Meeting Point jury, which will judge first and second fiction films.

Samadi is most famous for her short “Gaze”, which was acclaimed at several international events. Her debut feature “180º Rule” won the awards for best feature film and best ensemble cast at the Beirut International Women’s Film Festival this year.

She was also a member of the jury of the Same Boat Short Film Competition at the International Migration Film Festival in Turkey in 2020.

The Valladolid International Film Festival will take place from October 23 to 30.

“The Son” by Nushin Meraji is the sole Iranian film competing in the Meeting Point category that also features 14 other movies.

It is about Farid, a forty-year-old man who lives with his mother. He is very vulnerable and escapes loneliness, but in the meantime tries to prove himself independent and supportive of his mother. However, her sudden death makes Farid frustrated. To escape from this unfamiliar situation, he clings to anyone he encounters outside home to make this loneliness bearable, but he does not know how to communicate and the problem gets worse each time.

In the official competition, the festival will also screen three movies from Iranian filmmakers, including Asghar Farhadi’s latest drama “A Hero”. 

The film, which is a co-production between Iran and France, won the Grand Prix (ex aequo) at Cannes 2021.

“Ballad of a White Cow” co-directed by Behtash Sanaeiha and Maryam Moqaddam has been picked to be screened in this category. The film won third place in the Berlinale Competition Audience Award this year.

“Hit the Road” by Panah Panahi will also compete in this section.

Photo: Iranian director Farnush Samadi attends a press conference after a screening of her debut film “180º Rule” during the 39th Fajr Film Festival in Tehran on February 6, 2021. (IRNA/Marzieh Musavi)

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