Jafar Panahi Short To Screen At Venice Days

After all is said and done, this story may ultimately have a happy ending. At least, at this point, it’s looking bright for this embattled filmmaker.

According to Variety, Iranian director Jafar Panahi, who is best known to most for his recent run in with authorities in Iran, pertaining to his support of the opposition movement in his native country (and the subsequent tales of abuse, a hunger strike, and shows of support from filmmakers around the world), has found a place for his latest film, The Accordion.

The outlet is reporting that the short film, shot prior to the filmmaker’s imprisonment, follows two young street musicians, who have their accordion stolen from them, and will open the upcoming Venice Days portion of the Venice Film Festival. Panahi has been asked to attend, but it’s still unknown if he will be making the trek to Italy.

Venice has been a place of joy for Panahi, who won the festival’s top prize for his film, The Circle, back in 2000. However, after his arrest in March, those days seem to be decades in the past, so hopefully this will be able to find a home now that the filmmaker has been released. I’m not too familiar with the director’s work, save The Circle, which itself is a really fantastic film. While I don’t want to take the focus off the topic at hand, the horrible and unjust treatment of filmmakers in nations worldwide, it will be a welcome side track to bring the discussion back to Panahi, and the art which he so expertly crafts.

Source: Variety