TEHRAN – The 19th Iranian International Documentary Film Festival “Cinema Verité” has announced the lineup for the “Portrait” category.
According to the announcement, 12 foreign documentaries will be screened in the “Portraits” category this year, IRNA reported.
Giuseppe Tornatore’s Ennio, Ivan Baturin’s Behind the Frame, Victor Luna’s The Lost Memory of an Imaginary Hurricane, V. Torrent’s Marlon Brando: Beyond Vistavision’, Martin George’s ‘Once Upon a Silver Screen’, Sami Joubert van Ingen’s ‘Cast of Shadows’ and Valéry’s ‘Doll Play’. “Here, Dimitris Macris” by Rudolfovich Ryavin, Paolo Stenmini and Francesco Tassara – “Portrait of a Director”, “The Three Deaths of Merian Cooper” by Rafael Salata and Paweu Gargas, “Vlasta, Memory Is Eternal” by Candela Vei and Tino Pereira, “The Insane Chase” by Danny Day, and “Kahide Sonku” Turkiye’s First Female Producer and Director” by Nurula Güzel.
“Ennio” celebrates the life and achievements of Ennio Morricone, a famous Italian composer who passed away in 2020.
“Shadows Behind the Frame” tells the story of Lyudmila Kusakova, one of Mosfilm’s first female production designers. She used items found in the landfill to create a movie set that became the golden funding for our movie. In this case, she was supported by her husband and mentor Mikhail Kartashov. He helped Lyudmila find beauty in everyday life and anticipate ideas.
“The Lost Memories of an Imaginary Hurricane” is a story about an old VHS tape that a filmmaker finds, a movie his grandfather recorded.
In “Marlon Brando: Beyond VistaVision,” the filmmakers recover and restore the missing VistaVision-sourced 35mm trailer film print from Marlon Brando’s directorial debut, showcasing an extended aspect ratio not seen by general audiences since 1961.
Once Upon a Silver Screen is a nostalgic short documentary that captures the heartfelt memories of people recalling the experience of seeing a movie in a theater for the first time. Each voice shares a personal story of wonder, excitement, and the timeless magic of film.
In “Cast of Shadows,” the filmmaker uses unpublished material from her family’s archives to present an essay about the women around her grandfather, director Robert J. Flaherty, and the important role they played in the making of his films.
“Doll Play” explores the world of contemporary Russian puppet animation through the prism of the experiences of famous artist Marina Kruchevskaya, director Stanislav Sokolov, students of VGIK and students of the Children’s Animation Studio. Viewers will learn about the intricacies and magical moments of doll making, the secrets of creation and the unique approach to an art that has continued to amaze people with its vivid expressiveness for more than a century. The film depicts the magic of creativity, inspiring famous masters and young enthusiasts to prefer puppets to all other techniques, and delighting viewers with real masterpieces of hand-made animation.
Here, Dimitris Makris – Portrait of a Director is a poetic documentary that follows Dimitris Makris from studying film in Rome to becoming a prominent figure in Greek cinema.
“Three Deaths of Merian Cooper” is a work depicting the life of Merian Cooper, an American film director who created King Kong.
Vlasta, Memories Are Not Eternal tells the story of Vlasta Laa, Argentina’s first full-length sound film director, from his childhood in the war-torn country, his youth in Trieste, his training at the Film Experimental Center in Rome, his arrival in Argentina fleeing another war, and his rise to become Estudios San Miguel’s most important assistant director. Beginning with her personal correspondence and through detective investigation, her name is recovered from oblivion.
“What Mad Pursuit” drafts key scenes from all nine of Rob Nilsson’s 9@Night movies. Interrelated with interviews with Nilsson about his work with the Tenderloin yGroup, this documentary reveals the creative intricacies that Nilsson and more than 400 participants experienced, created, and mastered over a 12-year period. Shot in and around San Francisco’s infamous Tenderloin District, the 9@Night film cycle is a triumph in American independent filmmaking. The first documentary in the series takes viewers through the inner workings and surprising results of the entire nine-film cycle.
“Kahide Sonku, Turkiye’s First Female Producer and Director” follows the life of Kahid Sonku, a Turkish actress, model, author, and Turkey’s first female film director. Sonke founded his own film production company, Sonke Film, in 1950.
The Iranian International Documentary Film Festival “Cinema Verité” is organized by the Documentary and Experimental Film Center (DEFC). This festival seeks to express the relationship between reality and truth through documentary films.
The 19th festival, headed by Mohammad Hamidi Moghaddam as executive director, will be held in Tehran from December 10th to 17th.
SS/SAB