TEHRAN – Seven Iranian films will go on screen at the 15th edition of the Philadelphia Asian American Film Festival.  

“Punch Drunk” by Adel Tabrizi will compete in the main section of the festival, which will be held in the U.S. city from November 2 to 12.

Set in Tehran in 1996, the story of the film follows Mahtab who lives along with her 10-year-old child, Erfan. She is divorced from her husband, Morteza, who is in jail. 

Mahtab has enrolled her child in a karate class so that he does not end up like his father as far as his character is concerned. Erfan’s only interest is cinema and could not care less about sports. Hassan Khoshnud, the tough and serious karate instructor with his dictatorial methods causes Erfan to run away one day from the karate academy in the middle of exercises.

Short films “Katvoman” by Hadi Sheibani, “Zhakaw” by Farshid Gavilian and “Survivor” by Karim Azimi are also among the films. 
 
An Iranian-Indian joint film, “Katvoman” shows a mom and son playing dressed up as Batman and Catwoman before dad returns for dinner. Through the play, the child discovers a difficult truth about his parents.

“Zhakaw” narrates the journey of a budding filmmaker, whose first cinematic venture has finally wrapped up. With an intention to break free from the shackles of isolation and connect with the folks in his apartment complex, he decides to host a screening of his flick. However, he struggles to bridge the communication gap between himself and his neighbors, resulting in further social awkwardness.

“Survivor” portrays some immigrants waiting by the sea for them to be able to cross it. A young couple is going with the other immigrants to the light of the world, but they have problems when their baby is born.

The festival will also screen Iranian shorts “Shalal”, Unnamed” and “Aban”. 

Directed by Amir-Ali Sisipour, “Shalal” tells the story of a young boy named Mehran and his mother Ziba, who possess a peculiar habit of capturing people's shadows using a black fur and drinking it until their own shadows return. One fateful day, Mehran feels compelled to capture someone's shadow all by himself and sets out on a mysterious journey.

“Unnamed” by Iranmehr Salimi revolves around the life of Zainab. As a talented volleyball player, Zainab feels that her spirit aligns more with the male gender. Consequently, she chooses to undergo a gender transition. However, in doing so, she is aware of the severe repercussions, including the end of her successful career due to her short stature and the loss of her sole source of income, which could potentially jeopardize her family's future.

“Aban”, a co-production between Iran and France by Abbas Taheri and Mahdieh Tusi, tells the story of Nazanin who tries to turn their 9-year-old child, Aban, away from a very driven feminine taste under constant pressure from her ex-husband. Today, Aban goes to the hospital hoping to undergo life-changing surgery.

The Philadelphia Asian American Film Festival emphasizes artworks that are by, for, and about the Asian and Pacific Islander diaspora experience.

Asian and Pacific Islander includes, but is not limited to people from and are descended from areas now known as Iran, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka, the Maldives, Nepal, Tibet, Mongolia, China, Russia, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Burma, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei, Singapore, Indonesia, North Korea, South Korea, Japan, Taiwan, Hong Kong, the Philippines, Papua New Guinea, Micronesia, and the Pacific Islands. 

Photo: Hamed Behdad acts in a scene from “Punch Drunk” by Adel Tabrizi
 
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