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Disappearance

Spring Grants 2017

Synopsis

In an Iranian culture that operates within strict social mores, Sara, a university student, and her boyfriend Hamed allow their youthful naïveté to get the best of them. Unexpectedly, Sara is injured and in need of surgery – but because the young couple have a secret to hide, none of the hospitals, whether public or private, that they visit will give Sara any more than the most rudimentary of help. As the night wears on, Sara’s medical requirements become more urgent, solutions become increasingly far-fetched, and the pair’s relationship teeters on the brink of collapse.

As the troubled couple at the centre of the film, first-time actors Sadaf Asgari and Amir Reza Ranjbaran shine in remarkably natural performances that capture all the awkwardness of early adulthood – somewhere between bewilderment and indignation – when faced with perhaps unfair social regulation. While director Ali Asgari’s film criticises to some extent the highly regimented and perhaps invasive nature of the Iranian state, it rather more pointedly questions the lack of compassion of individuals who hold authority within the system – whether they are following the rules or exploiting the need to break them. ‘Disappearance’ is an exploration of what hangs in the balance if bleakness overpowers hope.

Credits

Director

Ali Asgari

Screenwriter

Farnoosh Samadi, Ali Asgari

Producer

Pouria Heidary Oureh, Ali Sadraei

Production Company

Three Gardens Film, Taat Productions

Production Company

Three Gardens Film

About the Director

Ali Asgari is a prominent figure in Iranian cinema, with more than 200 awards to his name. Two of his shorts were nominated for Palme d'Or at Festival de Cannes, and 'The Baby' was in the short film competition of Venice Film Festival 2014. Ali's films are concerned with precarious lives who live at society's margin in his native country Iran. His debut film 'Disappearance' was developed at the Cinefondation Residence of Festival De Cannes. Ali is a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, and 'Until Tomorrow' is his second feature film.

Awards and Festival History

Festivals

"Venice IFF 2017, Orizzonti (WP)
Toronto IFF 2017, Discovery
Zurich FF 2017
Bratislava IFF 2017
Ajyal Youth FF 2017
Sao Paulo IFF 2017
Zagreb FF 2017
Hamptons FF 2017
Valladolid FF 2017
Bratislava FF 2017
Bordeaux FF 2017
Reykjavik FF 2017
Thessaloniki

Awards

Best Feature Film and Best Performance (Sadaf Asgari), Singapore IFF 2017, Asian Feature Film

Contacts

• Main Contact

  Pouria Heidary Oureh

  Company: 

  Three Gardens Film

  Email: 

  productions@threegardensfilm.com

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