TEHRAN – Oscar-winning Iranian director Asghar Farhadi will head the jury for the feature film competition at the Zurich Film Festival. 

The 18th edition of the festival will take place in Zurich from September 22 to October 2.

The jury also comprises British director Clio Barnard, American producer Daniel Dreifuss, Swiss screenwriter Petra Volpe and Swedish producer Piodor Gustafsson.

“Until Tomorrow”, a co-production from Iran, France and Qatar by Ali Asgari, will be screened in the feature film competition.

The film is about Fereshteh who studies and works in Tehran. But what her parents don’t know is that she also has a two-month-old daughter out of wedlock. When they announce a spontaneous visit, she has to take the child somewhere else for a night. This would not normally be a problem – but with the pressure of time, the plan proves to be a difficult undertaking. With the help of her quick-witted roommate Atefeh, Fereshteh embarks on an odyssey through the city. 

Told over the course of one day, the film impressively shows what it means for people in Iran to live outside traditional family structures – and how the intrepid generation of Millennials is putting the patriarchal value system to the test.

Iranian director Saeid Rustai's drama “Leila’s Brothers”, winner of the International Film Critics Award at the 2022 Cannes, will be shown in the Special Screenings category.

The film tells the story of Leila who has spent her entire life in her forties keeping her parents and four brothers afloat. The indebted Iranian family is struggling to survive. Not only Western sanctions but also pervasive corruption make it difficult to get ahead. But this time, Leila forges a perfect plan to escape poverty once and for all – if only her own family doesn’t stand in her way.

Rusta, master of fast-paced epic dramas, succeeds in a razor-sharp swan song to the Iranian patriarchy. 

Photo: Director Asghar Farhadi attends the 74th Cannes Film Festival on July 14, 2021, to promote his latest film “A Hero”. (Reuters)

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