19

(Nouzdah)

Directed by: Manijeh Hekmat

Written by: Manijeh Hekmat, Mahsa Mohebali, Jamileh Darolshafahi

In Teamwork with: Soheila Golestani, Nader Davoodi, Fatemeh Farahani, Navid Sajjadi Hosseini, Alidad Azari

Producers: Manijeh Hekmat (Bamdad Film), Mahshid Ahangarani Farahani (Bamdad Film)

Co-producer: Yasmin Khalifa (KapFILME)

Executive Producer: Poorya Soori

Production Manager: Daryosh Hekmat

Director of Photography: Farshad Mohammadi

Editor: Farid Daghagheleh

Costume and Production Designer: Atoosa Ghalamfarsaie

Sound: Iraj Shahzadi

Cast: Pantea Panahiha (Mitra Farahani), Bozorgmehr Hosseinpour (Bozorg), Katayoon Amir Ebrahimi (Aunt Kathy), Jamshid Ahangarani Farahani (Davoud), Parisa Nemati Moghadam (Parisa), Mehdi Nemati Moghadam (Amir), Navid Sajjadi Hosseini (Navid), Fatemeh Farahani (Young Mitra), Azam Rangrazan (Marziyeh’s Mom), Narta Sajjadi Hoseini (Narta), Nila Alami (Nila), Borzoo Azad (Borzoo).

Iran / Germany, 2022, DCP, 2K, Color, 1:1.85, 5.1, 77 mins.

Language(s): Farsi.

Synopsis:

After getting infected with COVID 19, a 57-year-old painter, single woman, Mitra, goes into a coma. With her last breaths, she begins travelling to different pieces of her memories through her unconscious mind. Mitra’s spirit comes back home to pack an imaginary luggage full of her bittersweet memories and take it away. Moments before her last travel, just like Lot’s wife, she looks back at the lives of hers, her friends and her generation… at what they have done, what they have built and what they have ruined…

Director’s View:

The film narrates all the doubts of my generation – the fear and the trembling we have experienced all through our lives. It’s my own narrative – a narrative of mine as an author, as a filmmaker, on the verge of fading. In the hard times for our world, I decided to look back to see what we have made and what we have ruined. I feel that I’m the same pillar of salt trying to open her mouth once again…

Director’s Profile:

Born in 1962, Manijeh Hekmat is one of the prominent figures in political cinema in Iran. In 1995, she started her film career as a producer. In 2002, based on her long studies and field-works, Hekmat directed her debut feature, WOMEN’S PRISON, on the situation of Iranian women prisoners. The film was premiered in Venice Film Festival and then entered the festival circuit. In 2007, her second film, THREE WOMEN, was shown in more than 80 international film festivals starting with Berlinale. She has also directed a number of documentaries – most notably NGOS IN IRAN (2003); ME, MY ROOM AND MY FRIENDS (2004); HUNDRED YEARS PARLIAMENT IN IRAN (2005); WOMEN COME OUT OF THE HOUSE (2006); and THE LULLABY (2016). In 2020, despite the festival cancellations, she made a spectacular comeback to the festival circuit with her 4^th feature film, BANDAR BAND, participating in Toronto, Zurich, Mill Valley, Bosphorous, Hainan, etc. and winning the main award in Kolkata.

Up to now, as president of Bamdad Film Company, she has produced 16 feature films– such as THE GIRL IN THE SNEAKERS (1999); THERE ARE THINGS YOU DON’T KNOW (2009); NO ENTRY FOR MEN (2011); CITY OF THE MICE (2014); GAP (2014) – and several shorts and documentaries.

Feature Films: 2002- WOMEN’S PRISON; 2008- THREE WOMEN; 2018- OLD ROAD; 2020- BANDAR BAND; 2022- 19.

Festivals and Awards:

1- Kolkata International Film Festival (January.2022 / India).

International Competition: Innovation in Moving Images.

2- International Film Festival of Kerala – IFFK (March.2022 / India).

World Cinema.

3- Regional International Film Festival – RIFFK (April.2022 / India).

4- UCLA Celebration of Iranian Cinema (May.2022 / USA).

5- Batumi International Art House Film Festival (Sep.2022 / Georgia).

Main Competition,

6- Religion Today Film Festival (Sep.2022 / Italy).

Feature Film Competition.

7- Popoli e Religioni – Terni Film Festival (Nov.2022 / Italy).

8- Sofia MENAR Film Festival (Jan.2023 / Bulgaria).

Focus on Iranian Women Filmmakers.

9- IAWRT Asian Women’s Film Festival (March 2023 / India).

10 – Life beyond Life Film Festival (March 2023 / Italy).

The Best Film Award
The Best Director Award
The Best Script Award (Manijeh Hekmat, Mahsa Mohebali, Jamileh Darolshafahi)

11- Human Rights Film Festival Lugano (October 2023 / Switzerland).

Human Right Award to the Author.

12- Asian Film Festival Barcelona (November 2023 – Spain).

NETPAC Competition.

13- Iranian Film Festival Frankfurt (March 2024 – Germany).

External Links:

1- UCLA Review.

2- Life Beyond Life Report.

World Sales:

Sales: mohammad@irimageco.com

Festivals: kamyar@irimageco.com