The Moscow International Film festival is the oldest and biggest festival in Russia. As usually, most interesting films of 35 MIFF were screened outside the competition program. A cradle for mother – the winner of NETPAC prize was shown in the Russian trace program (which was dedicated to the influence of the Russian culture on the topics of contemporary world cinema). Iranian director Panahbarkhoda Rezaee made a delicate and touching psychological drama about daughter’s love and women’s duty. The main character, girl, named Nargees, graduated from Moscow University. She studied Russian literature and discovered for herself many spiritual parallels between the philosophy of Dostoevsky’s novels and the basic wisdom of Islam. The intellectual girl dreams to return to Moscow, as an Islamic missionary, but her old mother is seriously ill and absolutely helpless. That’s why, Nargees has to make a painful choice – to realize her ambitions or refuse her dreams because of devotion to her mother. A cradle for mother – is not a religious movie, but talented film about cultural wealth. It was interesting to notice: many ladies and girls cried after screening, and they didn’t feel shy of their tears. Our NETPAC jury’s statement was: “Strong and touching depiction of everyday problems and spiritual life of contemporary Iranian woman. For its warmth, pure simplicity and humanism”. A cradle for mother is the third film by the promising Iranian director Panahbarkhoda Rezaee. His film won a few awards in the national Fajr Film Festival.
Asian movies were screened in several out-of-competition programs. For example Korean cinema showcase focused on contemporary movies of the Republic of Korea. This panoramic view represented mostly common or commercial (not art-house or festival) films, which ordinary filmgoers can watch in the cinemas nearby their homes. One can find very specific national style – mix of violence, black humor and sentimentality – in most of the films from Korean cinema showcase. There were some Asian films in special programs – 8 ½ Films (collection of European festival winners), Films around the world (world cinema panorama), Savage Nights (collection of erotic movies) and The third age (films about aged people). There were screened such outstanding works, as A touch of sin (by Jia Zhangke, China), The missing picture (by Rithy Panh, Cambodia), Fat Shaker (by Mohammad Shirvani, Iran), Old man (by Ermek Tursunov, Kazakhstan), and Nobody’s daughter Haewon (by Hong Sangsoo, Republic Korea) The main jury, led by Iranian refugee Mohsen Mahmalbaf, gave the principal prize (Golden St. George) to the Turkish social drama The Particle – about single and jobless mother (directed by Erdem Tepegoz). The special award of the jury (Silver St. George) went to Japan for the sophisticated psychological drama The Ravine of goodbye (by Tatsushi Omori). The winner of the prize for the best directing was archetypical Korean black comedy Lebanon Emotion (by Jung Young-heon). It’s remarkable, that two of prize winners – Erdem Tepegoz from Turkey and Jung Young-heon from the Republic of Korea – are young debutants, they have made only first movie. They won their first international prizes in the 35th Moscow Film Festival.
Jury members:
Ms. Na Renhua (China) Sergey Anashkin (Russia)
Report by Sergey Anashkin