Nahid | Contemporary Iranian Cinema

Contemporary Iranian Cinema!

NAHID // Dec 10 & 14 // https://goo.gl/qmiuRp

Iran’s unusual concept of “temporary marriage” is the backdrop to emerging writer-director Ida Panahandeh’s emotionally rich drama, awarded the Avenir (“future”) prize in the Un Certain Regard section of Cannes in 2015.

Sareh Bayat (caretaker Razieh in Asghar Farhadi’s Oscar-winning A Separation) plays eponymous Nahid, a debt-ridden divorcee and single mom struggling in a coastal town in northern Iran. A romance with Masoud (Pejman Bazeghi), a decent, well-off widower, offers Nahid the prospect of stability and happiness. But remarriage will violate the terms of her child custody settlement with Ahmad (Navid Mohammadzadeh), her deadbeat ex-husband.

Panahandeh’s precise, unhurried film is well-served by Morteza Gheidi’s moody, painterly cinematography.

“Strong performances ground this socially poignant drama … Nahid is a compelling companion piece to A Separation” (Jordan Mintzer, Hollywood Reporter).

Sunday, December 10 – 7pm

Thursday, December 14 – 7pm

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Acclaimed and accomplished new films from Iran are in the spotlight in this new monthly showcase presented by The Cinematheque in partnership with the Phoenix Cultural Centre of Toronto and Pacific United Productions, a Vancouver-based motion picture production and distribution company.