25th Houston Iranian Film Festival: Breath (Nafas)

This year marks the 25th anniversary of the Houston Iranian Film Festival, established by the MFAH and Rice Cinema. January 19 – February 3, 2018. Screenings take place at both venues, as well as at Asia Society Texas Center.

Breath (Nafas)

Director – Narges Abyar
Released – 2016
Language – Farsi with English subtitles
Running Time – 118 minutes
Format – Digital, Color

This bittersweet family drama from filmmaker and novelist Narges Abyar is Iran’s entry for Best Foreign Language Film at the 2018 Academy Awards. The story takes place in Yazd between 1977 and 1980, a tumultuous time spanning the Iranian Revolution and Iran–Iraq War.

Breath features a riveting performance by Sareh Nour Mousavi as Bahar, a spirited little girl who lives with her father and grandmother after losing her mother. Bahar loves to read and uses her vivid imagination, fantasy, and folklore to escape the turmoil that surrounds her. The film earned multiple honors at the Fajr Film Festival and was critically praised for its innovative depiction of war as experienced from a child’s perspective.

• Read an interview with the filmmaker.