TEHRAN – Iranian movies “The Locust”, “Imagine” and “Until Tomorrow” will be competing in the Edinburgh International Film Festival.

Celebrating its 75th anniversary, the festival will take place in the capital of Scotland from August 12 to 20.

Directed by Faezeh Azizkhani, “The Locust” follows Hanieh, who abandons the hope of directing her semi-autobiographical screenplay and sells it to her well-connected best friend to direct instead. The latter keeps Hanieh around to advise in script meetings and cast rehearsals, but as the production wears on, it becomes painfully clear that neither the new director nor her highly critical crew have any respect for our protagonist’s original vision.  

The Iran-Germany co-production will be competing in the Postcards from the Edge section.

An entry to the La Semaine de la Critique – Cannes Critics’ Week, “Imagine” will be screened in the Chamber category.

Directed by Ali Behrad, the film follows a daydreaming cab driver who falls in love with a woman he can’t have, leading to a series of encounters, filled with mystery and playful moments.

“Until Tomorrow”, a co-production between Iran and France directed by Ali Asgari, has been selected to compete in the Conversation section.

When Fereshteh’s parents announce an impromptu visit, the student is filled with dread instead of excitement. The reason? She has a two-month-old baby her parents know nothing about. With the clock ticking louder and louder, the young mother scrambles to hide any signs of the existence of her daughter while trying to arrange last-minute care in this piercing drama that employs thriller tropes to investigate ripples of change in the structures of Iranian society.

The Chamber section also features “Winners” by UK-based Iranian director Hassan Nazer.

Set in a poor Iranian village, the story of the film is about the children who work hard to support their families. Their little hands scour through massive piles of junk in search of hidden treasures. One day nine-year-old Yahya and his friend Leila find a precious golden statue. Sharing a passion for cinema, Yahya’s boss Nasser Khan decides to help them find the owner as the curious item leads Yahya on an adventure-filled journey that doubles as a loving ode to the history of Iranian cinema.

“Aftersun”, the critically acclaimed feature debut from Scottish filmmaker Charlotte Wells, opens this year’s festival, fresh from winning a first prize when it premiered as part of International Critics’ Week during this year’s Cannes Film Festival.

Photo: Leila Hatami and Mehrdad Sediqian act in a scene from “Imagine” by Ali Behrad.

MMS/YAW