TEHRAN – Acclaimed Iranian movie “Water, Wind, Dust, Bread” is competing in the 18th edition of ZagrebDox, an international documentary film festival underway in the Croatian capital.

Directed by Mehdi Zamanpur Kiasari, this short documentary has been chosen to be screened in the Teen Dox category.

In an oasis in the Iranian desert, 11-year-old Abolfazl picks dates, tends his family’s cows, does his homework, and has fun with his best friend Setayesh. The camera quietly observes their friendship as they swing between the date palms or climb the windswept rocks around the oasis. Abolfazl’s mother bakes fresh bread, and tourists come to her guesthouse for the serene atmosphere.

But life in the oasis is not entirely idyllic. Although Abolfazl lives with a physical disability, it is Setayesh who faces an even bigger hurdle. She is one of the 40,000 children in Iran who don’t have a birth certificate, and as a result, she can’t go to school.

The film won a special mention from the 2021 IDFA jury, which said “In the uplifting of its protagonist, its structural and visual poetry, and its sensitivity without sentimentality, the film avoided stereotypes.”

“Focusing on friendship overcoming hurdles created by adults, the work showed us the perspective of a young man with a disability without it ever defining him,” the jury noted.

This year’s Teen Dox jury consists of Antonio Jakus, Ana Kralj, Matea Ljubic, Karla Mladic, Mihaela Picak, Asja Puh, Fran Rubil, Erik Tepic Debanic and Leonardo Vulic. They all are students from the Zabok School of Art, Design, Graphics and Clothing.

In international competition, twenty titles are competing for the official Big Stamp festival award in this year’s ZagrebDox, which opened on Sunday. The same award will go to the author of one of seventeen films competing in the regional competition.

During the eight days of the festival, the audience will have a chance to see a total of 86 film titles, and several local authors will present their films for the first time at the festival.

Photo: “Water, Wind, Dust, Bread” by Mehdi Zamanpur Kiasari.

MMS/YAW