Rahgozar said Sunday that his team is making efforts to make the screening of his debut animated feature ‘The Last Fiction’ in Iranian movie theaters possible in fall. He said the exact date for the screening has not been determined yet.
The director then noted that his animation is slated to go on screen or be released as Video on-demand (VOD) in as many as 32 countries, including US, Russia, and Sweden.
“The screening program is different in each country. For example, the animation will be on screen in American movie theaters for two consecutive weeks, while in Sweden it will be on screen for one week, and in Russia for three weeks,” he said.
He added that if the movie gets good feedback from the audience, the companies in charge of the screening may extend the date.
‘The Last Fiction’, directed by Ashkan Rahgozar and produced by Ehsan Rasulof at Hoorakhsh Studios, is an open interpretation of the story of 'Zahhak', a page from one of the central tales of the 'Book of Kings/Shahnameh’ written by acclaimed Persian poet Ferdowsi between 977 and 1010.
The film follows Zahhak's treacherous rise to the throne in Jamkard in Persia. The young and naïve hero Afaridoun will have to save the kingdom and its people from darkness. But he must first conquer his own demons in this portrayal of Persian mythology which reveals human nature.
The voice cast includes top Iranian actors such as Leila Hatami ('A Separation'), Parviz Parastui ('Today') and Ashkan Khatibi ('So Close, So Far').
The animation premiered at Annecy, the world’s top animation film festival in France, and won several awards at international film festivals including the best feature animation award at the 3rd international South American films festival in Chile, the best film award at the 3rd Ajayu International Animation Festival in Peru, and the best score award at the 22nd Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival in South Korea.
The animation will go on screen on September 1 in Sweden, Finland, and Norway, and continue on October 1 in Russia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Ukraine, the Baltic states (Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia) Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Georgia, South Ossetia and Moldova.
The Iranian animation will then go on screen in the United States from September 27, and continue its screenings in the format of Video on-demand (VOD) in Spain, Greece, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Kosovo, Montenegro, Northern Macedonia, Romania, Serbia and Slovenia from October 1.
MS/SABA13290