“Starless Dreams” World’s 7th Best Film in 2017
TEHRAN (ISNA) – American magazine The Village Voice has placed the Iranian documentary "Starless Dreams” directed by Mehrdad Oskouei among the 25 best films of the world in 2017.
The Village Voice magazine has ranked "Starless Dreams” as the 7th best film of the world in 2017 and placed it higher than outstanding films such as The Post directed by Steven Spielberg and First They Killed My Father directed by Angelina Jolie.
The reviewer of this magazine Bilge Ebiri’ writes about the Iranian documentary, "Perhaps the biggest discovery at the [2016 True/False Film Festival] was Starless Dreams, Iranian director Mehrdad Oskouei’s documentary about a prison for teenage girls in Iran. In a setting that’s more rehab center than jailhouse, the girls — most of whom are there for drug-related offenses — gossip, pray, goof off, and argue. But the real emotional dynamite comes in Oskouei’s individual interviews with the young inmates, who reveal unfathomable depths of shame and self-loathing. The director doesn’t pretend to any kind of objectivity or remove: We hear his patient voice and see his interactions with the kids; he even buys things for them on occasion. By not hiding his empathy and concern, Oskouei subtly draws attention to the inherent imbalance of the viewer-subject exchange. Suddenly, we’re not just watching a movie, but reflecting on our own helplessness.”
This Iranian documentary has already won awards at international festivals such as the Berlin International Film Festival, 2016True / False Film Festival and Full Frame Festival.
The Village Voice magazine has ranked "Starless Dreams” as the 7th best film of the world in 2017 and placed it higher than outstanding films such as The Post directed by Steven Spielberg and First They Killed My Father directed by Angelina Jolie.
The reviewer of this magazine Bilge Ebiri’ writes about the Iranian documentary, "Perhaps the biggest discovery at the [2016 True/False Film Festival] was Starless Dreams, Iranian director Mehrdad Oskouei’s documentary about a prison for teenage girls in Iran. In a setting that’s more rehab center than jailhouse, the girls — most of whom are there for drug-related offenses — gossip, pray, goof off, and argue. But the real emotional dynamite comes in Oskouei’s individual interviews with the young inmates, who reveal unfathomable depths of shame and self-loathing. The director doesn’t pretend to any kind of objectivity or remove: We hear his patient voice and see his interactions with the kids; he even buys things for them on occasion. By not hiding his empathy and concern, Oskouei subtly draws attention to the inherent imbalance of the viewer-subject exchange. Suddenly, we’re not just watching a movie, but reflecting on our own helplessness.”
This Iranian documentary has already won awards at international festivals such as the Berlin International Film Festival, 2016True / False Film Festival and Full Frame Festival.