Manchester Insight Festival’s Note on Films from the Independent Short Film Support Platform

Statement from the Selection Committee of the Manchester Insight Festival Regarding the Films of the Independent Short Film Support Platform
The Manchester Insight Festival in England has published a statement containing the comments of a representative from its selection committee regarding ten films submitted by the Independent Short Film Support Platform, as follows:
The Earth’s Tangled Tresses / Mehdi Yarmohammadi
In the opening section of the film, sound and image are combined in a highly effective and powerful way. The impact of the man’s weary breathing speaks volumes beyond words. The cinematography is excellent.
As a documentary dealing with the 1988 chemical aerial bombardment of the city of Zardeh in Iran, it can be said that the film’s central focus is religious conflict and the issue of faith (for example, pure and sacred water has been contaminated with cyanide).
It is a deeply moving film; it successfully conveys the feeling of profound trauma and the legacy left behind by it.
Can one gain an understanding of what happened and the reasons behind it through this film?
The film does not provide viewers with information about the historical background of the war that led to such a tragedy, nor about the role religion may have played in it.
The questions concerning faith are more focused on how the victims of that horrific chemical attack continue to believe in God.
A woman says: “I wish God had killed me that day.”
The film also contains discussions about bureaucracy and shortages of medicine. (In a word, that day could be called Judgment Day.)
Questions relating to faith remain present in the background throughout the film.
The final sounds and images of the film—especially the radio broadcast that emphasizes the divide between worlds—are extremely powerful.
The Sky as Shelter / Maryam Firouzi
I really enjoyed the opening music (especially before the guitars enter).
There are several beautiful shots here, but how exactly do all of them come together cohesively?
After images of nature, we see a wonderful shot of hands and flames.
Something appears within the fire—does the man who caused the blaze ever stop to reflect on the destruction of nature and the environment?
Then we cut to a JCB excavator and a power drill crushing mountain rocks—urgency, followed by a brief pause for reflection, then an overlay of a mysterious woman, closed eyes, a black cloak, followed by rapid black-and-white images of a city under construction, then color images, and finally everything culminates in the night sky!
The film is full of vivid and energetic imagery.
The choice of music is excellent—especially the enchanting closing piece.
At the same time, faith is also present in the film—a form of spiritual mysticism combined with elements of duality, standing in contrast to modern life.
The smiles shown throughout are intriguing—are these people aware of the consequences of their actions, or do they simply not care what happens to the Earth?
The image of birds flying toward the scaffolding of an unfinished building is a remarkable visual and serves as a wonderfully ironic ending.
Perhaps / Mehdi Yarmohammadi & Amirhossein Makoui
The film is highly successful in its use of metaphor and in creating its own distinctive atmosphere.
Although the opening text informs us that the protagonist has been hospitalized in a psychiatric institution, the story begins with voice-over narration and references to God.
Before long, the film continues with brief glimpses of Tourani and cuts in which local people express differing opinions about him.
We are told that he is a good man and never disrespects women.I really like the film’s editing; it gives Tourani the aura of a mythical and legendary figure.
Who is the real Tourani?
Is he a holy fool?
We are told that he was once a rational man.
The architecture of an old building contains sun motifs.
I particularly like the flashback in which Tourani rolls a tire up a hill; it is unclear where he is going, much like Sisyphus eternally pushing a boulder uphill.
Personally, I would not have used a jump cut in one of the tire-pushing scenes, even though it effectively demonstrates the film’s technique.
Tourani comments on Nietzsche, the Warsaw Pact, and mise-en-scène, but the editing does not allow these ideas to form a coherent whole; we only see fragments.
Is Tourani himself like that old building, whose carvings tell the story of a past when he was a rational man?
A human ruin that was once magnificent?
Autumn has settled in his garden—his flowers have withered.
He pays tribute to God.
It is interesting that the question of who the real Tourani is remains at the center of our attention throughout the film.
The film possesses a powerful visual style.
The moment of revelation, when after pushing the tire up the hill he now brings it back down, is particularly compelling.
It creates a strong sense of the fragility and transience of human life and belief systems.
I especially liked the shot where writing on a wall passes across the lines of a face, raising the question:
Where are faith and belief now?
Mirage / Javad Pourheidari
The cinematography is beautiful, and the idea behind the film is charming.
But what connection does it have with faith?
Is it suggesting that as we grow older, our faith diminishes?
Or that we place too much trust in science and rational assumptions?
This short film is delightful and meaningful.
May Your Scent Never Fade / Seyfollah Yazdani
Your film has a wonderful feeling to it, particularly because the sound design and cinematography are excellent.
(I am especially fond of the scene where we move past Sara, through the soldier, toward Morteza, and then return to them sitting on the bench—it feels incredibly fluid and seamless.)
Do you have permission to use Pink Floyd’s music?!
Before screening the film, we will need to investigate the copyright situation.
The use of the song Time from The Dark Side of the Moon is very fitting here.
The subtitles could have been better.
After the film ended, I found myself thinking about how it focuses on the theme of faith.
Perhaps part of that faith is the belief the couple has in one another.
Does Sara truly believe that Morteza will return from military service?
The scene in which he disappears is extraordinary.
The combination of sound, cinematography, performances, and narrative structure works very well.
Through brief temporal flashbacks, we realize that this is in some sense a manifestation and invocation of Sara’s faith.
The song Time functions as a motif that transports us—or perhaps Sara—back to the conversation between Sara and Morteza at the train station platform.
The transitions and temporal bridges in every shot are remarkable, revealing the profound faith and belief of a woman waiting for her husband to return from war.
I absolutely love this film and can confidently say it will be one of my favorite selections in this year’s curation scheme.
The only element I did not fully understand was the harmonica rendition of Yesterday at the end of the film.
To me, it felt like an overly obvious musical reference.
Nevertheless, it does not diminish the tremendous impact of the film’s many outstanding qualities.
(It brings to mind Tarkovsky’s Stalker, with the train sounds, the fluid movement through time, and the lateral visual compositions.)
And God Is Very Near / Reza Gholami Motlagh
As a teacher, I really appreciated the parts of the film discussing effective teaching methods (for example, the value of direct experience compared to rote memorization).
The film deals very delicately with the interaction between religion and science.It never approaches the topic of religion versus science in a preachy or dogmatic way, and its thoughtful handling of the subject makes it all the more effective.
The subtitle translation could have been better.
Once again, at the Insight Festival, subtitles have become a problem for an Iranian film!
This work could be considered the Iranian equivalent of Turn to Music among stories about children and the beauty of life.
The transformation experienced by the strict teacher is interesting.
But what ultimately happens to Mr. Zhaleh?
The narrative is somewhat weak in addressing this question.
The Soil of Life’s Apple / Seyed Ali Sajadi
Although some subtitles are missing in places (particularly concerning the child), the film begins in a highly moving manner with excellent sound design.
There are brilliant ideas in this section of the film.
In a crash zoom beneath a water canal, we see people burdened with countless worries, trapped within a stone cell beneath the sidewalk, much like the humans confined within the incubators of The Matrix.
Why is that child underground in this part of the sequence?
Better subtitles might have helped us understand this issue more clearly.
The film is thought-provoking and memorable, but it also suffers from certain executional flaws.
Whispers of the Geranium / Hamidreza Mazraeh Khatiri
The film’s central premise is very powerful.
The protagonist is bedridden and unable to walk or speak.
The audience sees only his face and hears only the voices of people talking about him and about their own lives.
But is there a sense of faith in this film?
In my opinion, very much so.
Unlike other films submitted to the festival, where spouses or family members await the return of a soldier from war, here it is the soldier who waits—for recovery, and sometimes simply to hear conversations that are not particularly cheerful or affectionate.
Several statements rooted in faith and belief can be heard: faith that Saeed will recover.
As the film progresses, this faith begins to fade (for example, when Saeed’s father prays for him).
The film interestingly examines the limits and resilience of people’s faith; enduring such circumstances is not easy.
The subtitles need to be reviewed again.
For example, the translation “he’s found a job for me” is inappropriate in its context.
Footprint / Zahed Maleki
I was immediately reminded of Triumph of the Will, particularly the shot of students assembled while their teacher addresses them from a concrete balcony.
The film has a strong concept, although there are echoes of Cinderella and her shoe size throughout.
The tension in the film feels very real.
Who does the shoe belong to?
The film appeals to children and addresses behavioral issues among them.
The thunder, lightning, and sky seem as though God Himself is weeping over the boy’s betrayal and deception.
In return for what does he receive a response from God?
It is very simple, yet highly significant as a film.
More work needs to be done on the subtitles and translation.
A Good Day / Soosan Salamat
Simple and concise, with lovely cinematography.
Why do all the children want Rasouli to win the bag?
The boys’ gesture of helping their classmate is beautiful.
Yet we do not fully understand the reason behind it—perhaps we do not need to.
This collective act of generosity, through which faith is renewed, remains unexplained until the end of the film.
(Through the children’s kindness and compassion toward their classmate.)
This film is a miniature gem and, for me, one of the most unforgettable works in this year’s selection.
The Manchester Insight International Film Festival in England is held every two years with the aim of showcasing and promoting films that explore themes of faith and belief, while introducing such works to international festivals dedicated to these subjects.
The festival is expected to soon announce programming details for the selected thematic works and provide information regarding the dates and venues of their screenings at affiliated festivals and institutions.It is worth noting that six films from the Independent Short Film Support Platform also participated in the previous edition of this festival. Among them, the short film Empty Hands, Full Heart, directed by Babak Nabi Zadeh, won the festival’s Mustafa Akkad Award.