Tehran – The 1989 Iranian drama “Bash, The Little Stranger” will be screened at the 82nd Venice International Film Festival, directed by famous Iranian film director Balaam Beisai.
The lineup has been confirmed for this year’s festival edition of Venice Classics section, with Bayzai’s films found among 18 classic films around the world, Mehr reported.
As an anti-war masterpiece, “Bash, Little Stranger,” there is a simple story. It tells the story of Bash, a southern Iranian boy who fled to seek evacuation after losing his family during the Iranian-Iraq war and was taken to Naiyi, who lives with two young children in a village in the country’s northern part of the country.
Despite linguistic, ethnic and racial differences, neighbour gossip, and the financial challenges of feeding new families, Naii accepts Bash and prepares to persuade her disabled husband when he arrives home from a work-related trip.
But the moving and acclaimed drama brings subtle undertones about human emotions like love, acceptance, loneliness and inexperience.
In 1999, “Bash, Little Stranger” was named the best Iranian film of all time by polls from 150 film experts.
Last year, Beyzai was invited to the Academy’s Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Science and was involved in the Oscar Organizer membership rank.
Director and screenwriter Beyzai (86) is part of a generation of filmmakers in Iran’s New Wave, a Persian film movement that began in the late 1960s. Filmmakers share many common techniques, including the use of poetic dialogue, references to traditional Persian art and culture, and all-talented storytelling, which often deals with political and philosophical issues.
Beizai, already known for his groundbreaking work as a theatrical director, helped catalyze a new era of Iranian cinema.
His debut feature “Gorgeous”, made in 1972, is considered one of the most successful Iranian films ever made.
His other films include Stranger and the Fog (1974), Crow (1976), Ballad of Tara (1979), Bashu, The Little Stranger (1986), Mayth Another Time (1988) (1992), Killing Mad Dogs (2001), and When Whike whike (2009).
Beyzai’s story, theater, scripts and his research in various fields has been published in over 70 books. Some of his plays have been translated into several languages and are shown in many countries.
Venice Classic is the section that has unveiled a selection of the best classic film restorations at the Venice Film Festival since 2012.
Other notable films in the Venice Classic section include “Matador” by Pedro Almodovar (1986), “Blind Chance” by Kurzi Schitov Kierowski (1981), Masaki Kobayashi (1965), “Quaidan” and “The House of a Stranger” by Joseph L. Mankiwich (1949).
The 82nd Venice International Film Festival is held by La Biennale di Venice and is directed by Alberto Barbera. It will run at Lido di Venice from August 27th to September 6th. The festival is officially recognized by the FIAPF (Federation of International Film Producers Associations).
The purpose of this festival is to raise awareness and promote international cinema in all forms of art, entertainment and industry, in a spirit of freedom and dialogue. One section is dedicated to intensifying the restoration work of classic films as a contribution to a better understanding of the history of films.
Photo: “Bash, Little Stranger” scene
SS/SAB
