Sundance-Bound Iranian Film ‘In the Land of Brothers’ Nabbed by September Film in Benelux (EXCLUSIVE)
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September Film has acquired all rights for Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg for “In the Land of Brothers,” which has its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival in the World Cinema Dramatic Competition section.
The film is written and directed by Iranian filmmakers Raha Amirfazli and Alireza Ghasemi. Alpha Violet is handling world sales.
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The film tells the story of three members of an extended Afghan family who start their lives over in Iran as refugees, but are unaware of the decades-long struggle ahead of them — and the ultimate price expected of them.
It is a journey across landscapes, cultures and generations as felt by the three lead characters: Mohammad, a young teenager and promising student; Leila, a woman isolated by geography; and Qasem, who bears the weight of his family’s sacrifice.
“’In the Land of Brothers’ is about the feeling of being ‘the other’ in a place you thought you belonged,” the directors said. “We want the audience to rethink the false constructs of boundaries around the globe, and to imagine a world without them.”
“In the Land of Brothers” stars Mohammad Hosseini as Mohammad, Hamideh Jafari as Leila, and Bashir Nikzad as Qasem. Directors Amirfazli and Ghasemi partnered with an independent theater company in Tehran that exclusively works with Afghan people to cast many non-professional Afghan actors in the key roles, some of whom are refugees themselves.
The film is produced by Adrien Barrouillet of Furyo Films along with Alireza Ghasemi and Raha Amirfazli for Limited Circle, Frank Hoeve of Baldr Film, and Charles Meresse and Emma Binet, both of Furyo Films. It was co-produced by Arya Ghavamian for Cinema Tehran.
The film had the support of L’Aide aux Cinémas du Monde, Centre National Du Cinéma et de l’Image Animée, Institut Français, Netherlands Film Fund and Ciclic Région Centre Val de Loire, as well as the participation of Le CNC Région Ile-de-France, Asian Cinema Fund and Vipo.
“In the Land of Brothers” was lensed by cinematographer Farshad Mohammadi (“Orange Days”). Hayedeh Safiyari (“The Salesman,” “A Separation”) served as editor, and Frédric Alvarez (“La Troisiéme Guerre,” “Louloute”) composed the original soundtrack. Saeed Asadi and Hamed Aslani were the production designers, and Raha Dadkhah is the costume designer.
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