Lantouri Joins the Lineup After Dragon: Four Iranian Films at the Berlinale

Following the announcement that the film "Dragon Is Coming" by Mani Haghighi will participate in the competition section of the 2016 Berlin Film Festival, some news sources reported on Tuesday, January 22, about the presence of the film "Lantouri" directed by Reza Dormishian in the festival's Panorama section. The 66th Berlin Film Festival will commence on February 11 this year, one month from now, and reports indicate the participation of four Iranian films in this edition of the festival. According to reports, the films "Dragon Is Coming" by Mani Haghighi in the competition section, "Lantouri" directed by Reza Dormishian in the Panorama section, "Valderama" by Abbas Amini, and the documentary "Dream of Dawn" by Mehrdad Oskoui will be screened in the festival's Generation section. "Dragon Is Coming" is the fifth feature film by Mani Haghighi, which according to the official Berlinale website, will be present in the competition section this year. The film was also selected for the Iranian cinema competition section of this year's Fajr Film Festival, but it seems there are issues regarding its screening in Iran for various reasons. Some websites in Iran reported that the presence of Masoud Behnoud, an Iranian journalist residing in London, in parts of this film has faced opposition from the cinema officials of the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance. Mani Haghighi stated on January 21 in an interview with ISNA regarding the news about the Ministry's objections to his film: "So far, I have not received any response from the censorship section of the Ministry of Culture, but that does not mean I won't receive one. However, the review committee has not given any opinion yet, and my next reaction will certainly depend on their opinions." In this context, the website "Mashregh News" wrote on January 20 in a note about Mani Haghighi's film: "In another film, the director has narrated a story from the past. A story that has nothing to do with politics, but unfortunately, one of the witnesses who played a serious role in that incident was Masoud Behnoud, and the director arranged a short interview with him; an interview that is neither political nor presents a positive image of Behnoud nor anything else. It is merely the use of a witness to describe an event." The summary of the story of "Dragon Is Coming," published by the film's production group, states: "On January 22, 1964, an orange Chevrolet Impala passes through a cemetery and heads towards a grounded ship. Inside the ship, a political prisoner is hanging, and he had written his daily memories on the ship's walls. Will these writings help detective Babak Hafizi understand why no one has been buried in this cemetery for years...?" Another Iranian film at this year's Berlin Festival is the latest work by Reza Dormishian after his controversial film "I Am Not Angry." The Iranian newspaper Cinema reported on its front page on January 22 about the presence of the film "Lantouri" in the Panorama section of the Berlin Festival. The film stars Maryam Palizban along with two actors from Dormishian's previous film, Navid Mohammadzadeh and Baran Kowsari, and according to some websites and newspapers, its story relates to the issues of bullying and acid attacks in Iran. Dormishian's film "I Am Not Angry" also participated in the Panorama section of the Berlin Festival in 2013 but never found the opportunity for public screening in Iran. On Tuesday, the names of nine other films were announced for the competition section of the Berlin Festival 2016, bringing the total number of works in this section to 15 films. This year's festival will begin with the film "Hail Caesar" by the Coen brothers in the out-of-competition section. "Letters from War" by Aivo M. Ferreira from Portugal, the documentary "Fire at Sea" by Gianfranco Rosi from Italy and France, "Lullaby for a Sad Secret" by Lav Diaz from the Philippines and Singapore, "The Commune" by Thomas Vinterberg from Denmark and Sweden, "Things to Come" by Mia Hansen-Love from France and Germany, "Being 17" by André Téchiné from France, "Death in Sarajevo" by Danis Tanović from France and Bosnia and Herzegovina, and "United States of Love" by Tomasz Wasilewski from Poland and Sweden are among the works that will be screened in the competition section of the 66th Berlin Festival. American actress Meryl Streep will chair the jury of this festival this year. Last year, "Taxi" by Jafar Panahi was Iran's representative in the competition section of the Berlin Festival and won the Golden Bear for Best Film.