Directed by Ahmad Jalili Jahromi, ‘Sentenced to Death’ is a group portrait of female offenders on the death row, charged with drug dealing, armed robbery, kidnapping, and murder. The documentary gives a glimpse into their lives before the execution, such as forming a theater group that was allowed to perform outside the prison. The work bound the women together, but it did not cause any delays in the execution of verdicts.
The festival’s critic hails director Ahmad Jalili Jahromi’s successful attempt at meeting his protagonists on equal terms, and voices astonishment at “how the filmmaker manages to steer his narrative around the stereotypes of tragic victim or charismatic gangster moll” and “how little effort is made in this film to court reflexive affection or compassion.”
The 61st International Leipzig Festival For Documentary And Animated Film, also DOK Leipzig for short, will take place from 29 October to 4 November 2018 in Germany.
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