The Silhouettes
Iran
Afsaneh Salari
At the height of the USSR's invasion of Afghanistan in 1982, 1.5 million Afghans were forced to take a long journey to the border of Iran to flee war. The Safaris, an otherwise warm and gentle family, is a testament to the intergenerational consequences of this war and the waves of forced migration it continues to create.
Taghi, the youngest Safari son born and raised in Iran, is soon ready to build his life after managing to finish higher education against all odds. However, along with all generations after him, Taghi inherits the limitations of his parents' perpetual refugee status. Now having come of age and reason, he seeks to navigate outside the protective walls of his family to trace his identity and the doors to his future away from the unwelcoming country he grew up in towards a homeland he never really knew. As he opens his plans to the family, Taghi faces the opposition of his parents who have long suppressed their longing for home. As unrest continues in Afghanistan, what future awaits him in which land?
Taghi, the youngest Safari son born and raised in Iran, is soon ready to build his life after managing to finish higher education against all odds. However, along with all generations after him, Taghi inherits the limitations of his parents' perpetual refugee status. Now having come of age and reason, he seeks to navigate outside the protective walls of his family to trace his identity and the doors to his future away from the unwelcoming country he grew up in towards a homeland he never really knew. As he opens his plans to the family, Taghi faces the opposition of his parents who have long suppressed their longing for home. As unrest continues in Afghanistan, what future awaits him in which land?
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Festivals and Awards:
Visions du Réel 2020: Mention Spéciale
Iranian Film Festival Zurich 2020: Director's Choice: Young Talent Award
Iranian Film Festival Zurich 2020: Director's Choice: Young Talent Award