Lumière sur les films d’art iraniens : Double exposition
Leila Khalilzadeh
Spotlight on Iranian Art Films is a showcase of Iranian films on art and art films at the 38th International Festival of Films on Art (FIFA). This six-hour-long event consists of three separate screenings of Iranian films produced in recent years, most of which will premiere in Montreal at FIFA 2020. They are the work of both established and emerging filmmakers, some based in Iran and others from the diaspora. Diversity lies at the heart of the selection of films for Spotlight on Iranian Art Films, with more than half directed by women. The program offers a glimpse of the wealth of Persian art and culture.
Experimental films, art films, and films on art have a long history in Iranian cinema, dating back to the 1960s. Drawing on the experiences of the pioneers, new generations have produced a body of work unrestricted to any one cinematic convention or mainstream style. Many of these creators are multidisciplinary artists combining the aesthetics of film with those of visual arts, literature, and architecture. While Iranian artists working outside Iran have enjoyed unconditional freedom in their artistic expression, those working in Iran have had to find subtle ways to voice their thoughts notwithstanding constraints in dealing with certain subjects. The shared element of these films is a “curious eye,” a person in search of an answer or questioning the world around them and challenging the norms. Spotlight on Iranian Art Films at FIFA 2020 is a platform for these two groups of films to have a dialogue and an opportunity for the audience to see how, hand in hand, they break new ground.
The two features in this double bill centre on photography. Both films present photography as a documentation apparatus. In one, the camera records the tangible world of events; in the other, it is a means by which dreams are captured. Inspired by a photography term, Double Exposure exposes both concrete history and ephemeral dreams.
Films:
Land of Dreams - Shirin Neshat — 47 min 48 s
Fading Portraits — Ali Shilandari — 54 min 46 s
Programmed by Leila Khalilzadeh.
This selection is offered in the context of the Emergent Curators Program initiated by Le FIFA and Momenta | Biennale de l’image, with the support of the Conseil des arts de Montréal.
Experimental films, art films, and films on art have a long history in Iranian cinema, dating back to the 1960s. Drawing on the experiences of the pioneers, new generations have produced a body of work unrestricted to any one cinematic convention or mainstream style. Many of these creators are multidisciplinary artists combining the aesthetics of film with those of visual arts, literature, and architecture. While Iranian artists working outside Iran have enjoyed unconditional freedom in their artistic expression, those working in Iran have had to find subtle ways to voice their thoughts notwithstanding constraints in dealing with certain subjects. The shared element of these films is a “curious eye,” a person in search of an answer or questioning the world around them and challenging the norms. Spotlight on Iranian Art Films at FIFA 2020 is a platform for these two groups of films to have a dialogue and an opportunity for the audience to see how, hand in hand, they break new ground.
The two features in this double bill centre on photography. Both films present photography as a documentation apparatus. In one, the camera records the tangible world of events; in the other, it is a means by which dreams are captured. Inspired by a photography term, Double Exposure exposes both concrete history and ephemeral dreams.
Films:
Land of Dreams - Shirin Neshat — 47 min 48 s
Fading Portraits — Ali Shilandari — 54 min 46 s
Programmed by Leila Khalilzadeh.
This selection is offered in the context of the Emergent Curators Program initiated by Le FIFA and Momenta | Biennale de l’image, with the support of the Conseil des arts de Montréal.
| Director | Shirin Neshat, Ali Shilandari |
Production
Leila Khalilzadeh
Leila Khalilzadeh is a Montreal-based filmmaker. She has directed, written and produced a number of short fiction, animation and documentary films. Her films have been showcased at many film festivals and academic and cultural venues around the world, including Berlinale, Festival du nouveau cinema, International Festival of Documentary and Short Film of Bilbao, and UCLA. Leila holds an MA in Cinema from University of Art, Tehran, Iran and is currently completing her MFA in Film Production at Concordia University and writing her first feature film.
Biographies have been provided by third parties.
Biographies have been provided by third parties.