Original name: (Yalda: A night for forgiveness/یلدا)

Crime/Drama, Iran/France/Germany/Switzerland/Luxembourg/Lebanon, 2019, 89min

Director & Writer :  Massoud Bakhshi

Producer: Jacques Bidou, Marianne Dumoulin (Jba Production)

Cast: Sadaf Asgari, Behnaz Jafari, Babak Karimi, Fereshteh Sadre Orafaee, Forough Ghojabagli, Arman Darvish, Fereshteh Hosseini.

Synopsis:

In Iran today: Maryam (22) accidentally kills her husband Nasser (65) and is sentenced to death. The only person who can save her is Mona (37), Nasser’s daughter. All Mona has to do is appear on a popular live TV show and forgive Maryam. But forgiveness proves difficult when they are forced to relive the past.

Director’s Profile:

Born in Tehran, Iran, in 1972, Massoud Bakhshi has worked as film critic, scriptwriter and producer, before making 12 documentaries and short films which were awarded internationally. His first feature film A Respectable Family was selected at Cannes Film Festival 2012 (Quinzaine des réalisateurs). Yalda, a night for forgiveness is his second feature film, selected at the Word Cinema Dramatic Competition Sundance Film Festival 2020 and at the 70th Berlin International Film Festival Generation 14+ Competition 2020.

Festivals & Awards:

*WINNER, Grand Jury Prize, World Cinema Dramatic,  Sundance Film Festival (2020)

*WINNER, Best Screenplay, Sofia International Film Festival (2020)

*Premiere Status: Australian Premiere