From tomorrow until Wednesday the Dubai International Film Festival and the Pavilion Downtown Dubai are hosting a three-day screening of a triple bill of films as part of the Focus on Iran programme. We spoke to the director Morteza Farshbaf, who will be showing his debut feature, Mourning, and participating in a Q&A on Tuesday.
Tell us about Mourning
It's a road movie, the story of a couple and a nine-year-old boy who take a trip from the north of Iran to Tehran. The trip takes about 12 hours and the whole movie is set in this one day. We learn that something bad has happened to the boy, but he doesn't know what, and the couple have to break this bad news to him. The story is how they manage to mourn.
We understand you're a protégé of the great Abbas Kiarostami. How did this come about?
In 2003 I was studying in the Arts University of Tehran. After a couple of years I met Kiarostami during one of his workshops. He was working on a project in the north of the country and needed someone who knew the area. Since I'm from that region and my parents live there, I helped him. After finishing my studies, I didn't carry on to do my masters like most other film students, but went to Kiarostami's workshop.
Has the success of Asghar Farhadi's A Separation (2011) helped Iranian filmmakers such as yourself?
A Separation was really good for us. After that movie, Mourning screened across France for three weeks and at the Museum of Modern Art in New York and other US cities.
If A Separation and the new wave of Iranian cinema from Asghar Farhadi didn't exist, I don't think that similar audiences would have wanted to watch the first feature film of a young Iranian director such as myself. It shows that now people are watching us, that A Separation was highly influential and that Iranian cinema is alive.
In Abu Dhabi last year, Asghar Farhadi said that while the success of A Separation made him very proud, it also made the authorities more sensitive to him and his next films. Have you noticed increased difficulties for filmmakers in Iran?
Absolutely. After A Separation won the Oscar, authorities weren't happy at all because it came from America. Now they're trying to make it difficult for filmmakers to express themselves. There have been problems for Jafar Panahi, Bahman Ghobadi has left the country, Farhadi is now working outside the country and Abbas Kiarostami has not worked in Iran for six years.
When you make films in Iran, it's a gamble. You have to be prepared for any situation because you never know the exact measure of censorship. All you can do is concentrate on your work. I have a project in the next four months, and in one scene the woman has a dog in her house. I've just been told that I cannot put the dog in the house.
Morteza Farshbaf will present Mourning on Tuesday at 7.30pm at the Pavilion Downtown Dubai. The Focus on Iran programme also includes Maziar Miri's Felicity Land on Monday at 8pm and There Are Things You Don't Know on Wednesday at 7.30pm. All screenings are free. For more information visit www.dubaifilmfest.com
aritman@thenational.ae
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How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
The specs
Engine: 2.7-litre 4-cylinder Turbomax
Power: 310hp
Torque: 583Nm
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Price: From Dh192,500
On sale: Now
Personalities on the Plate: The Lives and Minds of Animals We Eat
Barbara J King, University of Chicago Press
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WRESTLING HIGHLIGHTS
The specs
Engine: 2.3-litre, turbo four-cylinder
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Power: 300hp
Torque: 420Nm
Price: Dh189,900
On sale: now
Company%20Profile
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Israel Palestine on Swedish TV 1958-1989
Director: Goran Hugo Olsson
Rating: 5/5
The%20specs
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The five stages of early child’s play
From Dubai-based clinical psychologist Daniella Salazar:
1. Solitary Play: This is where Infants and toddlers start to play on their own without seeming to notice the people around them. This is the beginning of play.
2. Onlooker play: This occurs where the toddler enjoys watching other people play. There doesn’t necessarily need to be any effort to begin play. They are learning how to imitate behaviours from others. This type of play may also appear in children who are more shy and introverted.
3. Parallel Play: This generally starts when children begin playing side-by-side without any interaction. Even though they aren’t physically interacting they are paying attention to each other. This is the beginning of the desire to be with other children.
4. Associative Play: At around age four or five, children become more interested in each other than in toys and begin to interact more. In this stage children start asking questions and talking about the different activities they are engaging in. They realise they have similar goals in play such as building a tower or playing with cars.
5. Social Play: In this stage children are starting to socialise more. They begin to share ideas and follow certain rules in a game. They slowly learn the definition of teamwork. They get to engage in basic social skills and interests begin to lead social interactions.
BORDERLANDS
Starring: Cate Blanchett, Kevin Hart, Jamie Lee Curtis
Director: Eli Roth
Rating: 0/5
Start times
5.55am: Wheelchair Marathon Elites
6am: Marathon Elites
7am: Marathon Masses
9am: 10Km Road Race
11am: 4Km Fun Run
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League, last-16. first leg
Atletico Madrid v Juventus, midnight (Thursday), BeIN Sports
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FA Cup quarter-final draw
The matches will be played across the weekend of 21 and 22 March
Sheffield United v Arsenal
Newcastle v Manchester City
Norwich v Derby/Manchester United
Leicester City v Chelsea