LONDON (Daily Echo) -- A celebration of Iranian cinema, taking place in Southampton, returned with two UK premieres.
Whispers of Iran, organized by University of Winchester staff, took place at the Persian Cultural Centre on Saturday.
The audience was the first in the UK to watch The Two Lives of Sepideh and Unjustified.
Both productions impressed the Winchester Film Festival’s selection team two years ago but were unable to be screened.
The Two Lives of Sepideh, directed by Soha Niasti, is a family drama about forgiveness.
The plot follows Sepideh, who is physically scarred from her traumatic upbringing and now raising a young daughter of her own, as she visits her estranged mother suffering from Alzheimer’s to see if she still remembers their years of pain and conflict.
Unjustified, directed by Muhammad Reza Khavari, is a psychological study of ingrained injustices.
The film follows a young student who attempts to defend a pregnant classmate during a heated confrontation with their professor.
The harsh reprisal of the institution exposes the injustices.
The other two films on the bill are Eternal Recurrence of a Deep Sleep, directed by Muhammad Moravej, and Me, My Wife and Our Cow, directed by Azadeh Moezzi.
Eternal Recurrence of a Deep Sleep is a dreamlike slice of life and death, filmed in a single take, that reveals random incidents in the lives of crisscrossing strangers to be part of an inescapable temporal web.
Me, My Wife and Our Cow is an animated tale exploring the daily struggles endured for loved ones.
Whispers of Iran is co-organized by Paul Carter, senior lecturer in the School of Media and Film, and movie fan Ian Roberts, program administrator in the School of Health and Care Professions.
Ian said: “This is a fantastic chance to see two UK premieres.
“Iranian cinema has a reputation for being quite bleak and Two Lives and Unjustified are certainly hard-hitting, realistic dramas tackling social issues.
“However, the other two films show the different tones and approaches of Iranian directors.”
Film showings were interspersed with times for discussion and there will be a half-time break for refreshments and music by members of the band Avaaye Del.