I comme Iran

I for Iran

Sanaz Azari, Belgium, 2014, HDV, Format diffusion : 1.77 (HDV 16:9), 50 minutes

Brussels, behind the closed doors of a classroom. Using a textbook dating from the Islamic revolution, Sanaz Azari, the director, learns how to read and write in Persian, her mother tongue.

Over the course of the lessons, the teacher initiates her to the basics of the language, which becomes a gateway to the history and culture of Iran.

Gradually, the didactic method of the lessons evolves into a poetic, visual collage, which introduces the notion of freedom and questions the meaning of a revolution.

• Directed by: Sanaz Azari
• Screenplay: Sanaz Azari
• Photography: Vincent Pinckaers
• Sound: Frédéric Meert, Matthieu Roche
• Image editing: Effi Weiss
• Sound editing: Maxime Coton
• Mixing: Laurent Martin (Empire Digital)
• Subtitles: FR, EN
• Available formats: Digital, DVD
• With: Behrouz Majidi
• Production: CVB (Cyril Bibas)
• Coproduction: RTBF/CBA avec l'aide du Centre du Cinéma de la FWB et le soutien du Beursschouwburg Brussels
• Coproduction workshop: CBA
• Festival promotion:

  CVB

• Sales (interlational distribution):

  CVB

• CBA
• Festival selections:

  2016

  Fest Intl du Cinéma iranien en exil, Paris (fr)
  FIFEQ-Festival Ethnographique du Québec (ca)
  Mostra Internacional de Films de Dones, Barcelona (es)
  One World Romania International Human Rights Documentary Film Festival, Bucharest (ro)

  2015

  Rotterdam International Film Festival - Rotterdam (nl)
  Museum of the Moving Image - New York (usa)
  Documentaire sur grand écran - Paris (fr)
  IAWRT - Asian Women's Film Festival - New Delhi (in)
  Trenton Film Society - Trenton (usa)
  IndieLisboa - Lisbonne (pt)
  Comptoir du Doc - Rennes (fr)
  Festival International du Film Oriental de Genève (ch) - MENTION SPÉCIALE POUR SA POÉSIE
  Cinéma(s) d'Iran - Panorama des cinémas iraniens contemporains - Paris (fr)
  Festival International de Cinéma Iranien en exil - Paris (fr)
  Festival Sole Lune - Palerme (it) - PRIX DU PONT ENTRE LES CULTURES
  Frontera - International Documentary & Experimental Film Festival - Goiânia (br)
  Split Film festival - Split (hr)
  Bergen International Film Festival - Bergen (no)
  Les rencontre Ad Hoc - (fr)
  RISC - Festival Sciences & Cinéma - Marseille (fr)
  ACME - Anthropology of the Middle East & Central Eurasia Festival - Nantes (fr)
  Curitita Biennal - Curitita (br)
  Filmer à tout prix - Bruxelles (be)
  13th Watch Docs - Varsovie (pl)

  2014

  FID Marseille - PRIX INTERNATIONAL GEORGES DE BEAUREGARD - MENTION SPECIALE (fr)
  Kaunas International Film Festival - Kaunas (lt)
  FIFF - Namur (be)
  Les Escales documentaires - La Rochelle (fr)
  Traces de vie - Clermont-Ferrand (fr) - PRIX DE LA CRÉATION
  Festival de Popoli (it)

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