The 21st Busan Film Festival in South Korea, October 6-15 will host ‘Malaria’ in its non-competitive section where directors with their debut and second films could participate. Its second international presence after Busan in October is the 52nd Chicago International Film Festival’s World Cinema section, October 13-27 in the US.
Shahbazi’s debut appearance in an international event was Venice International Film Festival’s competitive section. The movie will also represent Iranian cinema by three weeks in Warsaw International Festival as its third appearance. Global distribution of ‘Malaria’ has been signed to DreamLabs Films, directed by Nasrin Mirshab. The film has not yet been premiered in Iran and is planned to be screened nationwide.
‘Malaria’ relates the story of a young woman who elopes with her boyfriend to Tehran. To cover her tracks, she tells her father she’s been kidnapped. With her family in hot pursuit, the couple takes up with a band of bohemian street musicians and forms an elaborate plan for a more permanent escape. Mixing real-life on-the-streets footage with a tense lovers-on-the-run drama, Festival alum Parviz Shahbazi crafts a lively look at the cultural clashes that exist deep within Iranian society.
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