By Ahmad Rafat
The 82nd International Venice Film Festival is currently under way on Lido island in Venice. The event concludes on Sept. 6 with the announcement of the Golden Lion, the Silver Lion, and other significant awards.
Acclaimed Iranian filmmaker Mohammad Rasoulof is serving on the Main Competition jury, which is chaired by the Oscar-winning director Alexander Payne.
A total of 21 films are competing in this year’s main selection, none by Iranian filmmakers.
However, Iran is represented in the parallel “Orizzonti” (Horizons) section of the festival. Director Ali Asgari’s “The Divine Comedy” – a daring exploration of censorship in Iran — is a contender for an award in that category.
Asgari first gained international attention with “Disappearance,” which was screened in the Horizons section of the 74th Venice Film Festival. He is best known globally for “Terrestrial Verses,” featured in the Un Certain Regard section at Cannes. He also participated in the 72nd Berlin Film Festival with “Until Tomorrow”.
Following the screening of “Terrestrial Verses” — a powerful and thought-provoking satire — at the Cannes Film Festival, Asgari had his passport confiscated upon returning to Tehran and was hit with a filmmaking ban.
Similarly, Sadaf Asgari, the film’s lead actress, was barred from working and had her passport seized upon her return from Cannes.
Asgari’s new movie, “Divine Comedy,” was shot without official permits and in defiance of the Islamic Republic’s strict regulations, making it a bold representation of Iran’s underground cinema at a major European festival.
The film follows Bahman, a 40-year-old filmmaker who creates films in Azari (Azerbaijani Turkic) — a choice that has consistently prevented him from obtaining screening licenses. When his most recent film is once again rejected by the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance, he embarks on a journey across the country with his producer, Sadaf, screening the film illegally from the back of a motorcycle.
The story portrays the ongoing struggle of artists working under a regime of relentless censorship.
Speaking of “Divine Comedy,” Ali Asgari said: “The characters in this film, using wit and humor, try to circumvent the imposed censorship in a country where protesting can have serious consequences.”
Another parallel section of the Venice Film Festival, Giornate degli Autori (Venice Days) — organized by the Italian filmmakers’ guild — is showcasing two films by independent Iranian directors this year, including “Inside Amir,” directed by rising talent Amir Azizi.
Azizi began his cinematic journey as an actor in “Bulletproof” and later honed his skills as an assistant director under acclaimed Iranian filmmakers Kianoush Ayari and Rakhshan Bani-Etemad.
After making several documentaries, he debuted his first feature film, “Temporary,” which was selected for the 2015 Beijing Film Festival. His second feature, “Two Dogs,” premiered in competition at the Warsaw Film Festival five years later.
Set in contemporary Tehran, “Inside Amir” follows a young man named Amir as he prepares to leave the country. In the quiet days leading up to his departure, he bicycles through the city in search of memories, revisiting streets where he spent time with his girlfriend, who has since emigrated to Italy.
Filmed in the style of a road movie, “Inside Amir” presents a reflective portrait of a life suspended between the past and the future.
Venice Days is also featuring the latest documentary by the acclaimed filmmaker Firouzeh Khosrovani, “Past Future Continuous.”
Khosrovani, a graduate of the Academy of fine arts of Brera in Milan, is a recognized figure in Italy. Her previous work, “Radiograph of a Family” (2020), received the Creative Use of Archive award at the International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam (IDFA).
Her new documentary returns to 1979 and the climactic moments of the Islamic Revolution. As the new regime takes hold, Maryam, then just 20 years old, watches many of her friends being arrested and imprisoned. Fearing for her safety, she flees Iran illegally — first to Turkey, then to the United States.
From exile, she maintains a fragile link to home by installing cameras in her parents’ house, allowing her to stay connected via the internet. Through this digital window, Maryam tries to remain part of her family’s daily life and reconnect with fading memories. However, frequent internet disruptions in Iran often sever even this virtual bond. As her access to the past becomes more tenuous, it begins to re-emerge in her dreams.
“Past Future Continuous” is co-directed by Morteza Ahmadvand, a painter and sculptor who has recently embraced video art.
Ahmadvand’s piece “Flight” is part of the permanent video art collection at the Pompidou Center in Paris, and his work “Becoming” was featured in the 2019 Venice Art Biennale.
