The 2018 Fajr International Film Festival has just unveiled the full lineup for its magic Lantern program.
As expected, this year’s lineup is stacked with the latest work from an array of national and international auteurs – four titles from Iran and nine title from the United Kingdom, Italy, Azerbaijan, France, Japan, and Hungary.
You can see the entire lineup below:
Isolani
Writer & Director: R. Paul Wilson
DOP: Alan C McLaughlin
Editor: Arpie Inslow, R. Paul Wilson
Music: Reyn Ouwehand, Yori Swart
Sound: Iain Anderson, David McKeitch
Cast: Diane Brooks Webster, Gianni Capaldi, Kate McLaughlin, Neb Chupin
Producers: Lisa Hague, R. Paul Wilson
Production Co: Lola Pictures Ltd
Language: English
Country, Year, Runtime: United Kingdom | 2017 | 110 min
Synopsis:
When seventeen years old single mother, Isla Corrie witnesses the murder of a police informant she becomes a pawn in a dangerous game. Manipulated by an ambitious prosecutor and a corrupt police detective, Isla must find a way to protect her son before a killer realizes there’s a new witness.
About Director:
Paul is a world-renowned magician, author and expert on the art of deception. In 2013, after a successful career in television, he released the award-winning short The Magic Box before producing and directing the feature documentary Our Magic. In 2015 he convinced his cast and crew to join him for Con Men and produced and directed a full-length feature for less than £5000 Isolani is his second scripted feature.
Festivals / Awards:
2017, British Independent Film Awards / Cameraimage / Orlano Film Festival, Best Cinematography / Raindance Film Festival, Best UK Feature/ Sydney Indie Film Festival, Best Female Lead
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Mrs. Hyde (Original Title: Madame Hyde)
Director: Serge Bozon
Writer: Axelle Ropert, Serge Bozon
DOP: Céline Bozon
Editor: François Quiqueré
Music: Benjamin Esdraffo
Sound: Laurent Gabiot
Cast: Isabelle Huppert, Romain Duris, José Garcia
Producers: David Thion, Philippe Martin
Production Co: Les Films Pelléas, Arte France Cinéma, Auvergne Rhône-Alpes Cinéma
Language: French
Country, Year, Runtime: France | 2017 | 95 min
Synopsis:
Mrs. Géquil is a shy teacher despised by her colleagues and students. On a stormy night, while conducting an experiment in her lab, she is struck by lightning and faints. When she wakes up, she feels decidedly different… and the appearance of the dangerous Mrs. Hyde soon impacts on Mrs. Géquil’s teaching methods.
About Director:
Serge Bozon was born on November 8, 1972. He is an actor and director, known for La France (2007), Tip Top (2013) and Mods (2002).
Festivals / Awards:
2017, Locarno Official Selection
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The Laplace’s Demon (Original Title: Il Demone di Laplace)
Director: Giordano Giulivi
Writer: Duccio Giulivi, Giordano Giulivi
DOP: Ferdinando D’Urbano
Editor: Giordano Giulivi, Ferdinando D’Urbano
Music: Duccio Giulivi
Sound: Giordano Giulivi, Ferdinando D’Urbano
Cast: Alessandro Zonfrilli, Silvano Bertolin, Carlotta Mazzoncini, Duccio Giulivi, Walter Smorti,
Simone Moscato, Simone Valeri, Ferdinando D’Urbano
Producer: Silvano Bertolin, Ferdinando D’Urbano, Duccio Giulivi, Giordano Giulivi
Language: Italian
Country, Year, Runtime: Italy | 2016 | 109 min
Synopsis:
A glass in free fall. Have you ever thought if it is possible to calculate into how many pieces it can break into? After numerous experiments, a team of researchers succeeds in doing just this apparently impossible task. Attracted to their experiment, a mysterious professor invites the scientists in his isolated mansion to know more about their studies. However, when they arrive, they are not greeted by their host but they are faced with a strange model of the mansion, in which some absolutely normal but incredible actions are acted. The researchers will soon understand to be involved in a new experiment in which they’ll have to play a very different role than usual: that of the glass in free fall.
About Director:
Giordano Giulivi was born in Rome on August 17, 1974. After his education in humanities, his passion for audiovisual techniques led him to work as editor at Italian National Television. Always attracted by the imaginary and the mysterious, interpreted in a philosophical and scientific way, as shown by his passion for astronomy, he found in making movies his mean of expression, conceiving and telling stories that reflect his interests and fantasies. He has therefore dedicated himself to the cinema taking care of all the aspects related to the realization of a film, seen as a unitary and integrated activity, including the creation of the story, writing the script down to the smallest details, directing and final editing.
Festivals / Awards:
2017, Fantasia International Film Festival, Camera Lucida, Audience Award (Silver Prize), Most Innovative Feature Film, Canada / Screamfest Horror Film Festival, Feature, Best Cinematography, United States; Screamfest Horror Film Festival, Feature, Best Musical Score, United States / Screamfest Horror Film Festival, Feature, Best Special Effects, United States / Screamfest Horror Film Festival, Feature, Best Visual Effects, United States
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The Third Murder
Writer & Director: Hirokazu Kore-eda
DOP: Takimoto Mikiya
Editor: Hirokazu Kore-eda
Music: Ludovico Einaudi
Sound: Tomita Kazuhiko
Cast: Hirose Suzu, Fukuyama Masaharu, Yakusho Koji
Producer: Matsuzaki Kaoru, Taguchi Hijiri
Production Co: GAGA CORPORATION
Languages: Japanese
Country, Year, Runtime: Japan | 2017 | 124 min
Synopsis:
The Third Murder is the new film from internationally-acclaimed director Kore-eda Hirokazu – the powerfully moving story of a man struggling to find the truth while questioning his own faith in the law.
About Director:
Born 1962 in Tokyo, Japan, after graduating from Waseda University in 1987, Kore-eda joined TV Man Union where he directed several prizewinning documentary programs. In 2014, he launched his production company BUN-BUKU. In 2001, Distance was selected in Official Competition at the Cannes Film Festival, and the star of his fourth work Nobody Knows (2004), Yagira Yuya, garnered much attention as the youngest person ever to receive the Cannes Film Festival’s Best Actor Award. In 2012, he made his TV series directorial debut with Going Home. Like Father, Like Son (2013), winner of the Jury Prize at the Cannes Film Festival, received the audience awards at San Sebastian.
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It’s the Law (Original Title: L’ora legale)
Director: Salvatore Ficarra, Valentino Picone
Writer: Edoardo De Angelis, Salvatore Ficarra, Nicola Guaglianone, Valentino Picone, Fabrizio Testini
DOP: Ferran Paredes
Editor: Claudio Di Mauro
Music: Carlo Crivelli
Sound: Pompeo Iaquone
Cast: Salvatore Ficarra, Valentino Picone, Vincenzo Amato, Leo Gullotta, Antonio Catania, Tony Sperandeo
Producer: Attilio De Razza, Giannluca Passone
Production Co: Tramp Ltd., Medusa Film
Language: Italian
Country, Year, Runtime: Italy | 2017 | 92 min
Synopsis:
In the small Sicilian village of Pietrammare, the election of new mayor is approaching. The town has been led for many years by the crooked Gaetano Patanè who is ready to do every trick in the book to stay in power.
About Director:
Salvatore Ficarra and Valentino Picone started in 1993 as a comedy trio with Salvatore Borrello, performing together on stage as Chiamata Urbana Urgente. In 1998, after Borrello had left the trio the pair began to use their surnames: Ficarra & Picone. In 2000, they made Chiedimi Se Sono Felice and two years later their acting debut in Natistanchi.
Festivals / Awards:
2017, Italian National Syndicate of Film Journalists, Best Comedy, Golden Ciak Awards / BIFEST-Bari International Film Festival, Best Original Story
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The Whiskey Bandit
Writer & Director: Nimród Antal
DOP: Péter Szatmári
Editor: Zoltán Kovács
Music: Yonderboi
Sound: Gábor Balázs
Cast: Bence Szalay, Piroska Móga, Zoltán Schneider, Viktor Klem, György Gazsó
Producer: Tamás Hutlassa
Production Co: Film Force Team
Languages: Hungarian, Romanian
Country, Year, Runtime: Hungary | 2017 | 126 min
Synopsis:
Between 1993 and 1999, one man robbed 29 financial institutions in Budapest. Banks, post offices and even travel agencies all fell victim to his crime spree. The police had no leads and no hope of finding him during the six-year stint. The only clue left behind at the crime scenes was the distinct aroma of whiskey. The media christened him the Whiskey Bandit.
About Director:
Born in 1973 in Los Angeles, Nimród Antal started his film studies at the Film Workshop of the Pasadena Art Center in 1991. Kontroll was awarded the 23rd Prix de la Jeunesse presented in the Un Certain Regard section of the 2004 Cannes Film Festival. Kontroll is Nimród Antal’s first full-length feature film. Following international premiere in Cannes it was screened at over 50 international film festivals and got 11 prizes including the Special Prize of the Jury in Sochi, Best Director and Best Cinematography in Copenhagen, the Audience Award in Warsaw and the Gold Hugo in Chicago.
Festivals / Awards:
2017, Chicago International Film Festival, Warsaw International Film Festival / 2018, Minneapolis St. Paul International Film Festival / Vienna Letscee Film Festival / Liege Policier, Hungarian Film Awards, Best Editor, Best Sound Editor
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Edie
Director: Simon Hunter
Writer: Simon Hunter, Elizabeth O’Halloran
DOP: August Jakobsson
Editor: Olly Stothert
Music: Debbie Wiseman
Sound: Harald Ansorge
Cast: Sheila Hancock, Kevin Guthrie, Paul Brannigan
Producer: Tim Dennison, Mark Stothert
Language: English
Country, Year, Runtime: United Kingdom | 2017| 102 min
Synopsis:
To try and overcome a lifetime of bitterness and resentment, an old lady decides to climb a mountain in Scotland.
About Director:
Simon Hunter was born in 1969; After graduating from film school in 1993, he went on to write and direct a handful of short films – one of which, Wired. In 2016, Simon completed his third feature film, his passion project, EDIE which tells the tale of an old lady who heads to Scotland to climb a mountain. The movie was selected for the Edinburgh International Film Festival in June 2016. The movie has subsequently played in film festivals around the world, including Santa Barbara, Dublin, Victoria and HOF.
Festivals / Awards:
2017, Edinburgh International Film Festival / Santa Barbara International Film Festival / Dublin International Film Festival
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Sparring
Writer & Director: Samuel Jouy
DOP: Romain Carcanade
Editor: Tina Baz
Music: Olivia Merilahti
Sound: Jérôme Chenevoy
Cast: Mathieu Kassovitz, Olivia Merilahti, Souleymane M’Baye, Billie Blain, Lyes Salem
Producer: Bruno Nahon
Production Co: Unité de Production
Language: French
Country, Year, Runtime: France | 2017 | 95 min
Synopsis:
A touring, second-rate boxer is chosen to be a sparring partner for the European champion, giving him the chance to hang up his gloves and go back to his beloved family in this gripping portrayal of a beautiful loser.
About Director:
Born in 1975 in France, Samuel Jouy began his acting career onstage. On TV, he co-starred in well-known multi season series such as Ainsi Soient-Ils. In cinema, he appeared in French Blood by Diastéme and will star in Burn Out by Yann Gozlan. Jouy wrote the script for his directorial debut Sparring, which stars Mathieu Kassovitz.
Festivals / Awards:
2017, Variety Piazza Grande Award / Prix du Public UBS / Tokyo Film Festival
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Khennas
Director: Elvin Abdulla
Writer: Elvin Abdulla, Nijat Dadashov
DOP: Sabuhi Atababayev
Music: Ruhin Mammadov
Sound: Seymur Aliyev
Cast: Hikmat Rahimov, Parvin Abiyeva, Türkay Cafarli, QorqudCafarli, Nargiz Aliyeva, Zarina Qurbanova, Zemfira Abdulsamadova
Producer: Elvin Abdulla
Production Co: Dream Big Company
Language: Azeri
Country, Year, Runtime: Azerbaijan | 2017 | 103 min
Synopsis:
A recurring dream on his birthday makes a guy to return to a house with his wife and friends, where he was forbidden to go for years. He finds out about a series of mysterious events in this place which is somehow related to his grandfather.
About Director:
Elvin Abdulla was born in 1990 in Shaki Azerbaijan. He is the manager of Dream Big Film Company. Khennas is his 3rd feature film.
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Sly
Director: Kamal Tabrizi
Writer: Aydin Sayar Sari
DOP: Ali Tabrizi
Edit: Sohrab Khosravi
Music: Ehsan Rasoulof
Sound: Bahman Ardalan
Cast: Hamed Behdad, Vishka Asayesh, Mani Haghighi, Azadeh Samadi
Producer: Javad Norouzbeigi
Language: Farsi
Country, Year, Runtime: Iran| 2018| 90 min
Synopsis:
Ghodratollah Samadi is a sly man who wishes to be a parliament representative. He lobbies with parties but they do not take him seriously. After a while, an unexpected incident makes him famous. As a result, a reformist party decides to fill its election list with him. Ghodrat enters the party and the election. After disqualification by Guardian Council, he becomes furious and his illegal activities bring along a lot of troubles.
About Director:
Kamal Tabriza was born in 1959 in Tehran and graduated from the Cinema and Theatre Department of Art University. In 1979, he started his career with directing, screenwriting, cinematography and editing short films. He was education director of Cinema Azad and he attends a number of film schools as an instructor.
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Cypress Under Water (Original Title: Sarv Zir Aab)
Director: Mohammad Ali Bashe Ahangar
Writer: Mohammad Ali Bashe Ahangar, Hamed Bashe Ahangar
DOP: Alireza Zarindast
Editor: Hamid Bashe Ahangar
Music: Behzad Abdi
Sound: Amirhosein Ghasemi
Cast: Babak Hamidian, Mina Sadati, Masoud Rayegan
Producer: Seyed Hamed Hoseini
Language: Farsi
Country, Year, Runtime: Iran | 2017 | 116 min
Synopsis:
To prove his innocence, and to reclaim his peace, Jahanbakhsh embarks on a long journey which turns everyone’s life upside down.
About Director:
Mohammad Ali Bashe Ahangar, born in 1962, graduated in Movie Directing from Tehran University of Art. He started his career with writing, directing and acting, and made a number of short 16 mm movies and documentaries. He worked as a director assistant in 1997 on Rage Flames (Hamidreza Ashtianipour) and co-wrote the script for Fly Over the Rooftops with Mohammadreza Gohari.
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Centipede (Original Title: Hezarpa)
Director: Abolhasan Davoodi
Writer: Amir Baradaran, Alireza Jazini, Mostafa Zandi
DOP: Alireza Barazandeh
Sound: Nezamoddin Kiaie
Cast: Reza Attaran, Javad Ezzati, Sara Bahrami, Mehran Ahmadi, Laleh Eskandari
Producer: Reza Rakhshan
Languages: Persian
Country, Year, Runtime: Iran | 2018 | 94 min
Synopsis:
A criminal loses his leg in an accident. He falls in love with a girl and trouble begins.
About Director:
Abolhasan Davoodi born in 1955 Neyshabur, Iran, graduated from the School of Television and Sociology of Shahid Beheshti University. He co-wrote his first script, Paeizan (Rasoul Sadr Ameli) with Farid Mostafavi, as film critic, contributed to a number of publications. He is the founder of Arta Film and was the chairman of Iran’s House of Cinema board of directors.
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Werewolves (A Bigger Game)
Director: Abbas Nezam Doost
Writer: Majid Eslami
DOP: Masoud Amini Tirani
Edit: Mastaneh Mohajer
Sound: Iraj Shahzadi
Cast:
Ali Mosaffa, Hanieh Tavasoli, Negar Javaherian, SaeedChangizian, Siheila Golestani, Mahsa Alafar, Fahimeh Aminzadeh, Ehsan Goudarzi, Hamid Pourazari
Producer: Mohammad Ali Najafi
Language: Farsi
Country, Year, Runtime: Iran| 2018| 94 min
Synopsis:
A group of old friends go to an inherited house. Trouble begins when uninvited guests arrive.
About Director:
Abbas Nezam Doost was born in 1980 in Rudbar. He worked as assistant director on different projects such as Arghavan and A Romantic Robbery. Ordinary Life of Mr. Mozafari and Oxidant are among his short films.
For all Festival goers who are already planning their visit, check screening time and other information at www.fajriff.com, or email us at infor@fajriff.com. Presided over by Iranian film writer and director Reza Mirkarimi, the 36th edition of Fajr International Film Festival will be held in Tehran on April 19-27.
