TEHRAN – A documentary portraying the repercussions of ISIS sexual violence against Yazidi women and girls in Iraq has been selected as best film at the 16th Cinéma Vérité festival, Iran’s major international festival of documentary films.

In “Se-Nohezarom”, Iranian director Behruz Nuranipur focuses on the women and girls who were held as sex slaves by Islamic State (ISIS) militants when they attacked the minority group of northern Iraq in 2014. They now live in social isolation with their children from ISIS fathers. 

The film was screened in the international competition and the winners were announced Friday evening at Tehran’s Vahdat Hall.

The special prize of this section was given to Peruvian director Manuel Bauer who takes spectators on a fascinating journey in his film “Steel Life”, peppered with encounters and a social x-ray of a country victimized by the neo-colonial system.

“Ivan’s Ladder” by Russian filmmaker Nikolai Bem was named best mid-length documentary in the category.

In a village untouched by time, so isolated that it is not on the map of Russia, Sysoy passes on the tradition of Byzantine chant to his son Ivan. Their hermitic family life finds its cadence in the movements of working the land and a rigorous spiritual practice, which seem intended to prepare the young teenager for an imminent change of life.

The award for best documentary short was shared by “A Boat on the Sea” by Arman Qolipur and “Lover Grebe” by Amir Aqa-Abdollahi, both from Iran.

The jury granted its special prize to “45Th Parallel” by Lawrence Abu Hamdan from Oman.

The short movie is a monologue, which is performed in a building that inhabits the thickness of a borderline, telling stories of permeable borders and impermeable laws, reflecting on how free movement, free knowledge and free space are under threat.

In the national competition, “Aziz” by Mahdieh Sadat Mehvar won the award for best documentary feature.

The film follows a powerful mother who avoids disappointment, tackling numerous problems facing her large family.

“Mama Shokuh’s House” by Mehdi Bakhshi Moqaddam and Mehdi Shahmohammadi was awarded the special jury prize, while Masud Zareian was named best director for his film “Non-Residential”.

Several other films were also awarded in the marginal sections of the festival. 

Photo: Iranian director Behruz Nuranipur (L) accepts the award for best full-length documentary for his film “Se-Nohezarom” during the 16th Cinéma Vérité festival at Vahdat Hall, Tehran, on December 16, 2022. (ISNA/Morteza Zangeneh)

MMS/YAW