Majid Majidi's magic

It’s time to rejoice for film enthusiasts in the city. A film festival taking place in the city will showcase Iranian maestro Majid Majidi’s contemporary classics. The four films which will be featured in the festival are Baran, The Song of Sparrows, The Color of Paradise and Father.

Interestingly, the film Children of Heaven which made Majidi famous in the universe of motion pictures is not included in the list. The festival is conducted by Taj Enlighten Film Society along with the support from the Culture House of Iran.

Pranav Ashar, founder of Taj Enlighten Film Society, says, “Unlike a lot of other revered directors from world cinema, Majid Majidi’s films can be understood very easily since they are based on such simple premises. But they all are also powerful stories. Talking about Iran, Majidi is the easiest connect for the audience. So, we have selected four of his most prominent works to be part of the festival.” Is there any reason why Children of Heaven is not a part of the screening? “Children of Heaven is undoubtedly an important film but we have the screened the film earlier. It’s also one of the widely seen films from his canon. It’s high time that we explore his other cinematic gems too,” he adds.

The film The Color of Paradise focuses the incompetence of a father. Here a father does not want his blind kid Mohammad to stay with him in the fear that his future wife would not be comfortable with it. The journey of the kid, his struggle for life and his silent understanding of nature take you into a world that words would fail to express.

Another film Father depicts the story of a child who does not want to accept the fact that his mother is marrying another guy. The constant battle with his step-father makes it a gripping drama with both ending up in a desert after a chase. Baran is the story of a girl who dresses up as a boy to get work on the outskirts of Iran.

The Song of Sparrows is the story of Karim who finds a new job in Tehran after being fired from an earlier job. However, his job transforms his honest nature.

The festival kick-starts on Sunday, July 4, 2010. It will screen films at two major theatres including Metro at Dhobi Talao and Cinemax at Versova.