Intl. Resistance Festival Unveils Official Competition Lineup

Among the films are “Abadan 11, 60”, “Exodus”, “Pinocchio, Amu Sardar and Raisali”, “The Daughter of Iran” and “Day of Chaos”.

“Abadan 11, 60” by Mehrdad Khoshbakht is about the people’s fight against Iraqi forces in the southwestern Iranian city of Abadan during the early months of the 1980-1988 Iraqi-imposed war on Iran.

“Exodus”, a protest film by Ebrahim Hatamikia tells the story of a group of cotton farmers who leave their farms to protest the local official’s unfulfilled promises at the president’s office in the capital.

“Pinocchio, Amu Sardar, and Raisali” by director Reza Safi tell the story of Homayun, a young adult who begins to carry out research work on a national hero to win the best memory writing award at school.

“The Daughter of Iran” by Jalal Ashkezari is set in the 1980s, which is one of the most nostalgic eras of Iran’s history.

“Day of Chaos” by Behruz Shoeibi tells the story of Emad, a well-known cleric who committed grave errors in his individual and social responsibilities.

Also included are “Selfie with Democracy”, “When the Moon Was Full”, “The Undercover”, “Red Square” and “23 Individuals”.

“Selfie with Democracy” by Ali Atshani is about the Iran-Iraq war. It is a sequel to Atshani’s 2010 movie “Democracy in the Daylight”.

“When the Moon Was Full” by Narges Abyar tells the story of a woman from Tehran who marries a man from an Iranian province near the border of Pakistan. Soon after, she discovers that her new brother-in-law is a religious extremist trying to recruit her husband for his bloody cause.

“The Undercover” by Amir-Abbas Rabiei is about the activities of the Tudeh Party of Iran during the 1980s.

“Red Square” by Hassan and Hossein Seyyedkhani centers on the bloody bombardment of a football field by the Iraqi air force in the Chavar region, in Ilam Province in 1986.

“No Fly Zone” by Amir Dasargar is about three teenagers who are trying to make a drone to take part in an important competition. While they are preparing for the competition a cheetah appears in the area they are working in. They decide to find and save the cheetah.

“23 Individuals” by Mehdi Jafari is an epic movie about 23 young Iranian volunteers who were captives during the 1980-1988 Iran-Iraq war.

“The Blood of Palm” by Syrian filmmaker Najdat Ismail Anzour will also be screened in the international competition.

The movie narrates the last days of the archaeologist Khaled al-Asaad, director of Palmyra antiquities who was publically beheaded by Daesh because he refused to hand over the maps of the ancient sites in the city.

The Resistance festival is organized every year to observe the anniversary of the 1980-1988 Iran-Iraq war, which is called the Sacred Defense in Iran.

This year, the festival has been organized in two stages, the first of which took place during the Sacred Defense Week from September 21 to 28, and the second part will be held from November 21 to 27 to celebrate the anniversary of Basij Day, which falls on November 25.