FILMS 2022- Sydney

WHEN POMEGRANATES HOWL

Director: GRANAZ MOUSSAVI 

From: Afghanistan | Australia
Year: 2021
Duration: 83 minutes
Screening - Monday Nov 28th - Event Cinema // 159 - 175 Church St, Parramatta 2150

SYNOPSIS
Hewad, a nine-year-old boy, supports his family by selling goods from a cart on the harsh streets of Kabul after the death of his father. At home he is also facing the challenge of the forced marriage of his mother to his uncle. He dreams of escaping his war-torn poverty existence by becoming a rich and famous actor, taking care of his mum himself and buying his family a fancy new house. An Australian photojournalist befriends Hewad and starts documenting his life in order to depict an empathetic image of the children of this war-torn society. Inspired by this, Hewad sets out to enlist his friends to help create an imaginary Hollywood style action film. While he and his friends are playing war games on the streets as an audition for the film, tragedy strikes and Hewad and his best friend are shot and killed by an Australian troops’ airstrike, who mistake the group for Taliban insurgents.

Director Biography

Granaz Moussavi is an Australian-Iranian Writer/Director. Her 2002 Honors film A Short Film About Colour won the Flinders University Best Director Award. In 2006 she was awarded the Holding Redlich prize at the SPA Conference, allowing her to travel to Cannes Film Festival, pitching her project to the market there. Her award-winning debut feature film My Tehran for Sale (2009) was the first film collaboration between Iran and Australia. It premiered at the Adelaide FF, was an official selection for the Toronto International FF, also screening at Vancouver International FF, Pusan International FF, International Film festival Mannheim- Heidelberg among others. It also won the won the Australian IF Award for Best Independent film.

Born in Tehran, Granaz’s first poems were published when she was 16 years old and she has since continued writing and publishing poetry in various magazines and anthologies, firstly in Iran and then other countries ever since. To date, her poetry is translated and published in nine languages. She has studied film in Australia, including a postgraduate degree in film editing from the Australian Film, Television & Radio School (AFTRS). In between feature films, Granaz has also made several short films and documentaries.

Two pigeons (دو کبوتر)

Director: Mohammad Tawfiq Layeq

From: Afghanistan
Year: 2021
Duration:7 minutes
Screening - Screening - Monday Nov 28th - Event Cinema // 159 - 175 Church St, Parramatta 2150

SYNOPSIS
Susan is a 10-year-old girl who lost her father in the war with Taliban. Her relatives are worried about her mother because she is a girl. Susan goes to her father's grave and assures him that she will take care of her mother and at the same time, the conversation makes Talib not carry out the explosion.

Film Nazpari (نازپری)

Director: Mohammad Reza Mohammadi

Year: 2022

Running time: 15 min

Screening - Tuesday Nov 29th - Event Cinema // 159 - 175 Church St, Parramatta 2150

Synopsis: There is a suitor for a little Afghan girl called NazPari from Germany. NazPari becomes very happy and prepares herself for the arrival of the suitor. Up to that point no one has seen him. When the day comes, NazPari understands that the suitor is a very old man. She refuses but her family tells her that she has to marry him because they believe he can make a good life for her. This leads to a fierce argument between them and leaves no choice for her but to accept this forced marriage. A few days later, After NazPari’s family say “yes” to the marriage, NazPari attempts suicide. She survives fortunately after she is taken to hospital. When she becomes conscious, her family understands she has gone mentally ill. They become very upset about it and do not know what they should do. Finally, they decide not to say anything to the suitor and his family and pretend as if nothing has happened.
Before the party, NazPari’s sister reassures her parents that she would manage everything and no one would understand what has happened to NazPari. When the party starts, Sheikh (priest) performs the ceremony and asks NazPari to say “yes”. But NazPari is quiet and says nothing. The suitor’s mother tries to persuade her to say “yes” but NazPari suddenly attacks her. This turns into a serious fight, which ruins the marriage. At the end of the movie, we realize NazPari has acted like a mentally ill person to prevent this marriage.