This twelve-program series features films from a diverse array of seasoned and contemporary talent in Iranian cinema. A special highlight of this year's festival is the bestowal of the First Annual ILEX Foundation Award for Excellence in Iranian Cinema to the Makmahlbaf Film House, which has produced some of Iran's most formidable talents.
All films are in Farsi with English subtitles, unless otherwise noted.
The Festival is made possible with the support of ILEX Foundation. The Lost Cousin , a surreal fairy tale from one of Iran's premier directors. Dariush Mehrjui takes the familiar constraints of a fable and stretches them into this enchanting film, in which grief metamorphosizes into celebration, and the course of filmmaking, like love, is never smooth. A ballot girl parachuting into the sea and a stirring speech addressed to seagulls catch Makhmalbaf's attention on his way to Tehran, and capture the invigorating promise of change. After the recent death of a number of close friends, he decides to plan his own funeral while making a documentary for Japanese TV about Iranian burial customs.