How simply a good film is made: Making-of "A Separation" a film by Asghar Farhadi

"A Separation" a film by Asghar Farhadi (Iranian) winner of Golden Globe Award 2012 as The Best Foreign Language Film






Complete List of its Winnings and Nominations

Storie Afghane: Una serata con due cortometraggi Afghani a Milano

Comunicato Stampa - Milano, 29 dicembre 2011

Giovedì 12 gennaio 2012, alla Casa delle culture del mondo: “Storie afghane”, incontro con Mohammad Amin Wahidi, regista afghano rifugiato in Italia, e proiezione di due suoi cortometraggi. Intervengono Novo Umberto Maerna, Gian Micalessin e Marco Masante.

Giovedì 12 gennaio, alle ore 18.30, alla Casa delle culture del mondo, Via Giulio Natta 11, Milano (M1 Lampugnano): “Storie Afghane”, un incontro sull’ Afghanistan e la condizione degli esuli politici promosso dall’Assessorato alla Cultura della Provincia di Milano.

Durante la serata, vengono proiettati due cortometraggi di Mohammad Amin Wahidi, giovane regista afghano di etnia hazara, rifugiato politico in Italia: “Within The Mists”, girato a Milano in lingua italiana, presentato quest’anno all’International Exhile Film Festival di Goteborg, e “Treasure In The Ruins”, in lingua dari (persiano) con sottotitoli in inglese.

Con il regista intervengono: Gian Micalessin, inviato di guerra per il Giornale; Marco Masante, direttore della fotografia di “Within The Mists”, e Novo Umberto Maerna, Vice Presidente e Assessore alla Cultura della Provincia di Milano.

“Within The Mists” (“Nelle nebbie”, 29 min. Italia, 2011)

Uno scrittore rifugiato politico, solo e spaesato in una nuova città, ricerca un legame tra il suo presente e il suo passato. Non più cittadino del Paese che ha lasciato, e non ancora di quello nuovo, la risposta può essere, ancora una volta, l’amore per un altro essere umano. Oppure una nuova fuga, questa volta dalla follia della città.

“Treasure in the ruins” (“Un tesoro tra le rovine”, 26 min, Afghanistan, 2007)

Homa, ragazzina dei sobborghi di Kabul, di giorno va a scuola e di notte tesse tappeti. Ogni sera, la mamma, molto malata, le racconta una storia. Per vivere una di queste storie ed inseguire i suoi sogni, Homa esce dalla sua dura realtà e con i suoi compagni di scuola va in cerca dei tesori nascosti di Kabul sotto le macerie della guerra.

Mohammad Amin Wahidi (Kabul, 1982), rifugiato in Pakistan con la famiglia all’età di 10 anni, al ritorno in patria ha studiato teatro e cinema alla Facoltà di Belle Arti di Kabul. Tra i primi presentatori televisivi in Afghanistan di etnia hazara, osteggiato dai fondamentalisti pashtoon fino alla chiusura delle sue trasmissioni, nel 2007 ha fondato con alcuni compagni la casa di produzione Deedenow Cinema (Nuova Visione), che, nonostante rischi e minacce, supporta il lavoro dei filmmaker afghani che vogliano trasmettere un messaggio di pace. Ne fanno parte, oltre a Wahidi: Reza Ahmadi, Hanif Elham, S Jalal Masoumi, Masoud Zarifi, Ali Akbar Mohebi, Nasim Sahar Ganji and S Zekeria Rezayee.

“L'incontro e il ciclo di proiezioni sull'Afghanistan e la drammatica condizione dell'etnia Hazara - spiega il Vice Presidente della Provincia di Milano, Novo Umberto Maerna - confermano ancora una volta la dinamicità e la vivacità della Casa delle culture, che nel corso del 2011, sotto la diretta gestione della Provincia e senza ricorrere a costose consulenze esterne, è divenuta un luogo prezioso di dibattito culturale nonché luogo di autentico dialogo. Focalizzare l'attenzione sull'Afghanistan significa riflettere su uno degli scenari di guerra più sanguinosi degli ultimi decenni, ma anche su uno tra i punti più strategici dell'assetto geopolitico mondiale. Una riflessione - conclude Maerna - che potremo condividere con Gian Micalessin, inviato di guerra e tra i maggiori conoscitori del mondo afghano”.

Ingresso libero.

Informazioni al pubblico:

Provincia di Milano/La Casa delle culture del mondo, tel. 02 334968.54/30

www.provincia.milano.it/cultura - culturedelmondo@provincia.milano.it

Ufficio stampa:

Provincia di Milano/Cultura, tel. 02 7740.6310/6359

g.bocca@provincia.milano.it; m.piccardi@provincia.milano.it

Addetto stampa Assessore, tel. 02 7740.6386 - f.provera@provincia.milano.it

Buz e Chini: The First Hazaragi 3D Short Animazion

Untitled from Republic Of Silence on Vimeo.

"Buz e Chini" is the title of the first Hazaragi 3D Short Animation that is being premiered in Oslo a couple of months ago.

Although since 2004 there are animators who make short animations in Afghanistan however the quality and the graphic style of "Buz e Chini" short animation is compared to the products of Pixar which is a hope for the future of Hazaragi Animations.

This short animation is based on an Afghan Folklore tale about a goat with its three kids that is being cheated by an old wolf.

Deedenow Cinema congratulates the premiere of this animation and wishes success for the future works by these animators.

"Treasure In The Ruins" projection in Milan

Proiezione "Treasure In The Ruins" a Milano

Mercoledi 9 Novembre alle ore 20:30

Proiezione "Treasure In The Ruins"

Presso' L'Associazione ChiamaMilano,

Largo Corsia dei Servi 11

vicino (Corso V.Emanuele 28) Zona San Babila

Titolo del film: “Treasure In The Ruins” o “Tesori Nelle Rovine”

Scritto e diretto da: Mohammad Amin Wahidi

Location: Kabul (Afghanistan)

Durata: 27 minuti

Produzione: Deedenow Cinema Production Afghanistan e Razi Film House

Anno: 2007

Lingua: Dari (Persiano)

Sottotitoli: Inglese

RIASSUNTO

Homa è una ragazzina che vive nei sobborghi di Kabul con il fratello e la madre malata. Di giorno va a scuola e di notte tesse tappeti. Ogni sera sua mamma le racconta una storia.

Ascoltando una di queste storie Homa decide di uscire dalla sua dura realtà e vivere nei suoi sogni di bambina . Un giorno va alle rovine con i suoi compagni di scuola per cercare tesori nascosti, ma tutto ciò che essi riescono a trovare sono segni di guerra e distruzione.

Cosa succede se muore sua madre un giorno e la lascia sola con il fratellino?! Dio solo sa come una ragazzina orfana possa sopravvivere.

Luogo di proiezione: Associazione ChiamaMilano,

Largo Corsia dei Servi 11

vicino (Corso Emanuele 28) Zona San Babila

Quando: Mercoledi 9 Novembre

A che ora: Alle ore 20:30

Come si arriva: L’associazione Chiamamilano e’ a Largo Corsia dei Servi 11

vicino (Corso Emanuele 28) Zona San Babila e si arriva con la metro MM1, autobus 60 e 73

A short note on "A Separation" a film by Asghar Farhadi

The day of its premiere in Milan, I did not have the chance to watch the film, but I only could meet with Asfghar Farhadi a couple of hours after the film première when he had a conference in Anteo Spazio Cinema in Milan.

Fortunately today I could go and watch the film. I liked it very much!

The film was notable and it really deserved the awards it had already won in different film festivals including the Golden Bear at The Berlinale 2011.

The director was smart and knew very well how to play with the emotions of the spectators.

I haven't watched though his previous films yet, but from now on, I would like to see all his previous works and follow his upcoming projects as well.

In "A Separation" the first thing I liked was the rhythm of the overall film. Quick sequences had helped adding more tension to the story.

If I'm not wrong, almost the entire film was shot by camera in hand or over shoulder, not still and stable shots. This holding on shoulder action of the camera work, helped giving more energy to the film and gave a good pace to the sequences. I liked the photography in general as well, while a lot of medium close shots were used that give a very easy chance to the spectators to get very close and feel being very into the core of "what is happening".

The performances were excellent, almost all characters. The actors some of whom are very famous like Laila Hatami have performed realistically, as the performance of non- professional once-used actors who are used to play the role of their real lives and are usually forgotten after one or a couple of performances.

During his conference after the premiere, the director mentioned that before he used non-professional actors in his films but then he has decided not to continue it anymore.

The story is about a couple with a teenage daughter who want to separate but can not for each of them has his and her own problems.

With a very simple linear storyline it begins with a scene in a civil court about the separation of the couple and then other things begin to happen and slowly on the spectators merge into the story and goes on with it until the last minute.

Going on with the film, the spectators begin to discover one by one the gaps between different social classes and their specific problems, the social complications that exist in contemporary Iran, the complication of laws and their controversy with the social circumstances of people’s lives.

The existence of “Human conscience” and “The Question of Morality” in a today’s society with its specific problems is a point highlighted, questioned and balanced in different circumstances to put the spectators the question, “What would you do, if you were him or her?”

The film does not have slogans and it is well- made in a realistic style. The scenes in the courts are shot very real and with documentaritic style.

The other point of strength of the film is that it doesn’t judge the characters by painting them absolutely black or entirely white, but it puts them in different situations with different reactions and gives a space for the spectators to think and judge them based on each condition they were in.

I think the good thing about a successful film is that "what comes next" would be in contrast with what the spectators expect, I like this method in filmmaking, and Asfghar Farhadi was successful in playing a game with the spectators to keep them in the salon until the end, and then at the end let them go home with a burden of thoughts in mind and many “Uuuuffffs”, "WHYs" and "I WISHs" and a sympathy or a feeling of the spectators with the characters they saw in the film; thoughts that may jingle for a long time in their minds and keep them thinking about the film and its characters.

“Within the mists” at the 10th International Exile Film Festival Gothenburg Sweden

“Within the mists” was screened at the 10^th International Exile Film Festival in Gothenburg on October 8^th 2011 in presence of Writer/Director Mohammad Amin Wahidi.

The film was appraised by the present audience and the director was accompanied by long clapping of the audience in the salon.

At the end of the screening, the audience had comments and questions on the film which were answered by the director of the film.

The International Exile Film Festival is a non- competitive film festival held every other year in Gothenburg Sweden.

International Exile Film Festival is a non competitive biennial film festival which is held every other year in Gothenburg Sweden.

The first version of this film festival was held in 1993 and then it has been continuing until this year.

In the beginning it was called Film Festival of the Iranian Filmmakers in Exile but then it changed into an International Film Festival.

The tagline to know what type of film festival it is, is: "The World is My Home" and this festival aims to bring together the filmmakers in exile and refuge.

The director and the founder of the festival is Mr. Hussain Mahini, an Iranian Filmmaker exiled to Sweden.

This year version of the festival is held from 6-14 October and the films are screened in five different spots in Gothenburg city.

The participation, selection, screenings, nominations and winnings of "Within the mists" in other International Film Festivals will be reported on due time on this blog .