Fajr 2003

Abstract

THE 21st FAJR INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL (1-11 February 2003) offered twenty-two films in the Competition section, three of which were from Iran. Reza Mir-Karimi's Here, a Shining Light explored the issue of religious faith in the story of the custodian of a shrine who looks for a replacement when he is obliged to go to town for medical treatment. Villagers who have lost faith in the shrine offer no help, which forces him to turn over the responsibility of the shrine to his mentally retarded son with unexpected consequences. Vahid Mousayian's second feature, Silence of the Sea was a poetic rendition of the inner turmoil of an exile trying to connect his severed ties with his roots. Asghar Farhadi's Dance in the Dust also delved into the theme of loneliness of the uprooted although the protagonist of his film was a simple Azari youth rather than an intellectual doctor...