Iran movie wins award at Sundance Festival

Iranian movie 'Yalda' directed by Massoud Bakhshi won an award in 2020 Sundance Film Festival which was held in Park City, Utah, US on January 23- February 2.

The Iranian movie received grand jury award from the American event, reported IRNA.

Yalda film by Massoud Bakhshi displays the story of a 26 years old woman who’s been sentenced to death for having murdered her rich 65 years old husband. She is invited to the most popular live TV reality show in Iran to be possibly forgiven by the only daughter of the victim who has got the retribution right.

The story narrates the struggle of the female characters against a patriarchal system. It is also a film about revenge.

Critical screenwriter Ellen Hunter wrote in a critique of the film: The format of the television program provided a compact framework for the film, and the director's guaranteed skill created a melodramatic and comprehensible melody that plays death and life to the heart of the story.

Critic Ian Thomas Melon wrote: "Yalda is a powerful film that shakes the human heart from within a modern lens. Although the entire film is only a one-night stand, the director has a full story in the narrative and the audience is well aware of all that has happened.

According to its official website, "As a champion and curator of independent stories for the stage and screen, Sundance Institute provides and preserves the space for artists in film, theater, film composing, and digital media to create and thrive."

"Robert Redford founded the Institute in 1981 to foster independence, risk-taking, and new voices in American film. That year, ten emerging filmmakers were invited to Sundance Resort in the mountains of Utah, where they worked with leading writers, directors, and actors to develop their original independent projects."