Iran at the 68th Cannes Festival with 'Nahid'

This year, Iranian cinema will be represented by the film 'Nahid' in the Un Certain Regard section and the short film 'Slaughterhouse' in the Cinéfondation section at the 68th Cannes Festival. Today, Thursday, April 27, Pierre Lescure, the festival president, along with Thierry Frémaux, the executive delegate, announced the films participating in various sections of the Cannes Festival at a press conference. For this edition, similar to previous years, there is no Iranian film in the main competition, and only 'Nahid', directed by Ida Panahandeh, which was also screened at the Fajr Festival last year, will compete for the Golden Camera in the Un Certain Regard section. The film, considered the director's debut, features Pejman Bazghadi, Navid Mohammadzadeh, and Sareh Bayat. The Un Certain Regard section is chaired by Isabella Rossellini, a cinema actress and daughter of the renowned Italian director Roberto Rossellini and famous actress Ingrid Bergman. Interestingly, the poster for this year's Cannes Festival features an image of Ingrid Bergman. This year, six films will be screened in the non-competitive section of Cannes, the most notable of which is Woody Allen's latest film, 'Irrational Man'. George Miller will also participate with a new installment of the 'Mad Max' series titled 'Mad Max: Fury Road'. In this installment, unlike previous films, Mel Gibson will not appear, and Tom Hardy will play the role of Max. Additionally, the feature film 'Sarbazland', directed by French female filmmaker Emmanuel Barco, will be shown as the opening film of the 68th Cannes Festival. The last time the Cannes Festival opened with a work by a female director was 28 years ago. In the competition section, renowned directors such as Paolo Sorrentino with 'Youth', Jacques Audiard with 'Dheepan', Nanni Moretti with 'My Mother', and Gus Van Sant with 'The Sea of Trees' will be present. This year, another Iranian filmmaker will also participate with his short film at Cannes. The short film 'Slaughterhouse', directed by Behzad Azadi, is set to be screened in the Cinéfondation section. Last year, Abbas Kiarostami chaired the short film and Cinéfondation section of the Cannes Festival. The films in the Critics' Week section will be introduced on April 20, and the Directors' Fortnight section will be announced on April 21. The jury for this year's Cannes Festival will be chaired by the Coen Brothers, and the screenings will begin on May 13 and continue until May 24.