“Sun Children”, “The Visit” competing in Rome film festival

TEHRAN –(Iranart)- Iranian films “Sun Children” by Majid Majidi and “The Visit” by Azadeh Musavi will go on screen at the 15th Rome Film Fest currently underway in the Italian capital, the organizers have announced.

The two films will be competing in the Alice in the City (Alice nella città), the independent and parallel sidebar of the festival for the younger generations.

“The Visit” is about a young girl and her mother on their way to visit the father in jail.

The Rome festival will come to an end with the awarding of winners on October 25.

“Sun Children” that is about child labor in Tehran won the Crystal Simorgh for best film at the 38th Fajr Film Festival in Tehran in February.

Ruhollah Zamani, the star of “Sun Children” was named the best young actor at the 77th Venice Film Festival, winning the Marcello Mastroianni Award in September.

Majidi is Iran’s first director to receive an Academy Award nomination in the Best Foreign Language Film category for his “Children of Heaven” in 1996. 

Majidi worked as an actor before directing short films. His first feature, “Baduk”, premiered at the Directors’ Fortnight in Cannes, and his second film “Father” secured Majidi’s first major prize at the San Sebastian Film Festival. 

He also won the Grand Prix des Amériques three times at the Montreal World Film Festival for “Children of Heaven”, “The Color of Paradise” and “Baran”. His film “The Song of Sparrows” won the Golden Bear for Best Actor at the Berlin International Film Festival. 

He has since directed “Muhammad (S), The Messenger of God” and “Beyond the Clouds”.

Musavi is an independent Iranian director and producer. Her documentary “Finding Farideh” won numerous awards at international film festivals and was selected Iran’s official submission to the Oscars. She directed the short film “The Visit” based on her childhood memories.

source: Tehran Times