Silk Road Festival 2013 dedicated to Iranian cinema

The 2013 edition of Silk Road International Film Festival is programmed to present a collection of Iranian cinematic productions in the Irish capital city of Dublin.

The first Irish-Iranian co-production The Secret of Permanency directed by Khashayar Mahmoudabadi is scheduled to open this year’s festival that will coincide with the Iranian New Year, Nowruz celebration.

Mahmoudabadi’s screen production will be showcased at the Light House cinema in Dublin, on March 19.

The Secret of Permanency chronicles the spiritual journey of a young girl who discovers the echoes of ancient Persia during her paying visit to the historical monuments in the Iranian city of Esfahan.

Abbas Kiarostami’s Taste of Cherry, Bahram Tavakkoli’s Here Without Me, Ali Rafei’s Mr. Yousef and Ali Mosaffa’s Last Step are among the movies that will represent Iranian cinema.

The festival will also host the film of an Iranian opera puppet show, Rostam and Sohrab, directed by the veteran playwright and theater director Behrouz Gharibpour.

The next edition of the festival in 2014 is programmed to screen films from the Mediterranean, Somalia, Turkey, China, India, Iran, Arabia, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and the Caucasus region.

The Silk Road Festival welcomes films from countries, which were part of the historical network of ancient trade routes across the Afro-Eurasian landmass that connected East, South, and Western Asia with the Mediterranean and European world, as well as parts of North and East Africa.

The 2013 Silk Road Film Festival will be held from March 19 to 21.