“Driving Lessons” crowned best short at Ojai film festival

TEHRAN –(Iranart)- “Driving Lessons” by Iranian filmmaker Marzieh Riahi won the award for best short film at the 20th edition of the Ojai Film Festival, which is currently underway in the U.S. city located in Ventura County in the state of California.

The film tells the story of Bahareh, a young girl who, according to Iranian law, must have a man from among her relatives accompany her on driving lessons so she and her male instructor won’t be alone.

Iran’s submission to the 2020 Oscars “Finding Farideh”, co-directed by Azadeh Musavi and Kurosh Atai, also received an honorable mention.

The film is about a Netherland-based Iranian woman who was adopted by a Dutch couple over forty years ago, and returns to Iran to search for her family.

“Eternal Winter” by Attila Szász from Hungary won the best film award, while “Campesino” by Mia Tate from the U.S. was named best documentary.

A lineup of 11 Iranian movies, including “Whitefish Season” by Qorban Najafi, “Yeva” by Anahid Abad, “Golnesa” by Sattar Chamani, “Silence” by Mehdi Borjan and “Birthday Night” by Omid Shams have been selected to be screened in the various sections of the festival, which will come to an end on Sunday. 

The lineup also includes “Difference” by Ali Asadollahi, “Better than Neil Armstrong” by Alireza Qasemi, “She Who Wasn’t Tamed” by Saleh Kashefi, “The Sea Swells” by Amir Qolami, “The Snail” by Mohammad Torivarian and “The Stain” by Shuresh Vakili.

source: Tehran Times