Six acclaimed Iranian shorts will be reviewed in a special program at the first edition of the Close-up Film Festival, which take place in March in Coquitlam, Canada.

“Are You Volleyball”, “Retouch”, “Lunch Time”, “Adamha” (“Human Beings”), “Cloudy Children” and “Animal” will be screened in the program “Focus on Iranian Short Films”, which will be organized in collaboration with the Coquitlam Public Library, City Centre Branch.

“Are You Volleyball” is about a group of Arab asylum seekers, who arrive at an English speaking country border and are prevented from continuing on. They have arguments with border guards every day until a deaf-mute boy becomes the catalyst for better communication between the two groups.

Directed by Mohammad Bakhshi, this film has been screened in numerous festivals across the globe and won several prizes, including the best short film award at the 9th BCN Sports Film Festival in Spain.

Winner of the Golden River and Audience Choice award at the 12th River Film Festival in Italy, “Retouch” has been directed Kaveh Mazaheri.

It follows a young woman whose husband is trapped under a halter during a workout, but she declines to save him and, consequently, he dies.

“Cloudy Children” directed by Reza Fahimi is another highlight of the lineup. Set in a central Iranian village, the film narrates the story of two students fighting over things that they could never have, and in the end they share everything that does not belong to them.

The movie emerged as the big winner at the Short Shorts Film Festival and Asia (SSFF & ASIA), receiving the Grand Prix of the event in Tokyo and Yokohama.

“Lunch Time” by Alireza Qasemi has also been won awards at several international film festivals.

The film is about a 16-year-old girl who is forced to deal with the harsh bureaucracy and the responsibility of identifying the body of her mother.

Each screening will be followed by a question and answer session, which will be attended by filmmakers and critics. /T.T/