BANDAR BAND
Bandar Band
(Bandar Band)
Directed by: Manijeh Hekmat
Written by: Manijeh Hekmat, Mostafa Zandi
Art Director: Farhad Fozouni
Producers: Manijeh Hekmat (Bamdad Film), Mahshid Ahangarani Farahani (Bamdad Film)
Co-producer: Yasmin Khalifa (KapFilme)
Executive Producer: Daryosh Hekmat
Production Manager: Jafar Orouji
Line Producer: Afrouz Shadaki
DoP: Sajjad Avarand
Editor: Navid Tohidi
Music: Farshad Fozouni
Costume Designer: Neda Nasr
Sound: Arash Ghasemi
Visual Effects: Reza Misaghi
Cast: Reza Koolghani (Navid), Pegah Ahangarani (Mitra), Amir Hossein Taheri (Amir), Mahdieh Mousavi (Mahla).
Iran / Germany, 2020, Mini Alexa, DCP, 2K, Color, 1:1.85, 5.1, 75 mins.
Language: Farsi
Logline:
How can those lightly-burdened on the shore know our plight?
Synopsis:
After a long time, some Iranian women singers are going to enter an unofficial competition in a coffee shop in Tehran. Pregnant Mahla along with the other members of Bandar Band, her husband and one of their closest friends, starts her journey to Tehran from a southern province just when they have lost all they had in the flood. They still keep their hopes alive, however every road they take leads to a dead-end in a flood-stricken land. They intend to go to Tehran, but they wonder if it is just another turn around a vicious circle.
Director’s View:
The extraordinary maternal instincts of the characters in my previous films would help them avoid major catastrophe in times of societal crisis and this has lead me to the young generation. A generation that has learned how to live very well but has often had their hopes and dreams in life met with closed roads and broken bridges.
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).
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.
Festivals & Awards:
1- Toronto International Film Festival (Canada – Sep. 2020).
- Contemporary World Cinema Section.
2- Zurich Film Festival (Switzerland – Sep. 2020).
- Special Screenings.
3- Mill Valley Film Festival (USA – Oct. 2020).
- World Cinema / Mind the Gap.
4- Bosphorus Film Festival (Turkey / Oct. 2020).
- Main Competition.
5- Hong Kong Asian Film Festival (HK-PRC / Nov. 2020).
6- Film from the South (Norway / Nov. 2020).
- Main Competition.
7- Hainan Island International Film Festival (China / Dec. 2020).
- Asian Spectrum.
8- Kolkata Film Festival (India / Jan. 2021).
- Golden Royal Bengal Tiger Award in “International Competition: Innovation in Moving Images” section.
9- Dhaka International Film Festival (Bangladesh / Jan. 2021).
- Woman Filmmakers’ Section.
10- Festival of Iranian Films in National Museum of Asian Art – Smithsonian (USA / Jan. 2021).
11- Festival of Iranian Films in Boston Department of Space and Time (USA / Jan. 2021).
12- Festival of Iranian Films in Museum of Fine Arts, Houston (USA / Jan. 2021).
13- Massachusetts Multicultural Film Festival (USA / Mar. 2021).
14- Catalyst International Film Festival (Ireland / Mar. 2021).
15- Ulju Mountain Film Festival (South Korea / Apr.2021).
- NETPAC Prize.
16- Mooov Film Festival (Belgium / Apr.2021).
17- Dortmund | Cologne International Women’s Film Festival (Germany / June.2021).
- Main Competition.
18- Iranian Film Festival Australia (Australia / June 2021).
19- PyeongChang International Peace Film Festival (South Korea / June.2021).
20- Barcelona International Women’s Film Festival (Spain / June 2021).
21- Marateale Green Awards (Italy / July 2021).
22- Melbourne International Film Festival (Australia / July 2021).
23- Cinemalaya Independent Film Festival (Philippines / August 2021).
24- Jecheon International Music & Film Festival (South Korea / August 2021).
25- Batumi International Art House Film Festival (Georgia / September 2021).
- Main Competition.
- Jury’s Special Mention.
26- Barcelona Asian Film Festival (Spain / October 2021).
- Special Section.
27- UMFF Monthly Screenings of the Award-winning Films (South Korea / October 2021).
- Special Screening of the NETPAC Prize Winner at the 6th Ulju Mountain Film Festival.
28- Rain International Nature Film Festival – RINFF (India / February 2022).
- Silver Elephant Award for the Best Film.
29- International Guwahati Film Festival (India / February 2022).
- Closing Film.
30- Beirut International Women Film Festival (Lebanon / March 2022).
- Feature Film Competition.
31- Film Series Off-Asian Film Festival Barcelona – AFFBCN: Iran, Portraits of a Society (Spain / July 2022).
32- Iranian Film Festival – San Francisco (USA / September 2022).
33- Iranian Women Film Festival in Frankfurt (Germany / April 2023).
34- Sama International Film Festival (Sweden / September 2023).
- Best Feature Film Award.
External Reviews:
TIFF Review: Bandar Band is a road trip through the 2019 Iran floods
Rae Red Talks “Babae at Baril,” Her Feminist Film About Philippine Realities
https://2020.rushline.co/shows/bandar-band
https://www.dw.com/en/iranian-german-movie-bandar-band-sends-message-of-hope/a-54994091
http://www.adorocinema.com/filmes/filme-286207/creditos/
https://keithlovesmovies.com/2020/10/10/mvff-2020-bandar-band-review/
https://flickhunter.blogspot.com/2020/09/tiff-20-film-review-bandar-band.html
https://www.outlookindia.com/newsscroll/kiff-bander-band-of-iran-adjudged-best-film/2011377
https://www.epaper.eisamay.com/OnnoSamay-Sup/2021-01-16/5/page-1.html
https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/bandar_band
World Sales:
IRIMAGE
Sales: mohammad@irimageco.com
Festivals: kamyar@irimageco.com
www.irimageco.com