In the Land of Brothers

In the Land of brothers is an Iranian drama film written and directed by Alireza Ghasemi and Raha Amirfazli. It is an Iranian-French-Dutch international co-production.[1][2] In the Land of Brothers had its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival on 22 January 2024.[3]

In the Land of Brothers
Film Poster
Directed byAlireza Ghasemi, Raha Amirfazli
Written byAlireza Ghasemi, Raha Amirfazli
StarringHamideh Jafari, Bashir Nikzad, Mohammad Hosseini
CinematographyFarshad Mohammadi
Edited byHaydeh Safiyari
Music byFrederic Alvarez
Running time
95 minutes
CountriesIran, France, Netherlands
LanguagePersian

Premise

edit

Under the shadow of the US invasion, an extended Afghan refugee family begins their new lives in Iran unaware of the ultimate price expected of them as outliers in this (un)welcoming environment: Mohammad, a young teenager and promising student; Leila, a woman isolated by geography, and Qasem who bears the weight of his family's sacrifice.[4][5]

Cast

edit
  • Hamideh Jafari as Leila
  • Bashir Nikzad as Qasem
  • Mohammad Hosseini as Mohammad
  • Marjan Khaleghi as Hanie
  • Hajeer Moradi as Asgari
  • Marjan Etefaghian as Negin
  • Mehran Vosuoghi as Behanam

Production

edit

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.[6]

Release

edit

The film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in the World Dramatic Competition on January 20, 2024.[7] It had its European premiere at the Karlovy Vary Film Festival on June 2, 2024.[8]

Reception

edit

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 100% of 19 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 6.9/10.[9] The film won the Best Director Award in world cinema competition of the Sundance Film Festival 2024.[10][11]

Award Date of ceremony Category Recipient(s) Result Ref.
Sundance Film Festival 27 January 2024 Directing Award – World Cinema Dramatic Competition Alireza Ghasemi, Raha Amirfazli Won [12]
Grand Jury Prize – World Cinema Dramatic Competition Alireza Ghasemi, Raha Amirfazli Nominated
Malaysia International Film Festival 28 July 2024 Best Directing Alireza Ghasemi, Raha Amirfazli Won [13]
Film Fest Sundsvall 5 October 2024 Best International Film Alireza Ghasemi, Raha Amirfazli Won
Saint-Jean-de-Luz International Film Festival 12 October 2024 Best Film Alireza Ghasemi, Raha Amirfazli Won [14]
Saint-Jean-de-Luz International Film Festival 12 October 2024 Best Actress Hamideh Jafari Won

Murtada Elfadl, reviewing for Variety, wrote, " With deft storytelling and assured filmmaking, they tell the story of an extended family from Afghanistan and their 20-year odyssey to find shelter and home in neighboring Iran after the American invasion of 2011."[15]

Grace Han, reviewing at the Sundance Film Festival for Asian Movie Pulse, wrote, "This is the first co-directed feature for Amirfazli and Ghasemi; the first feature for acting co-lead, Mohammad Hosseini; and finally, the first time on-camera for co-lead Hamideh Jafari. Despite the many firsts, the feature is remarkably well-crafted, as Amirfazli and Ghasemi exhibit their natural inclination as storytellers. "[16]

Namarata Joshi of Cinema Express reviewing the film at Sundance Film Festival praised the directors apporoach, "The stories are told straight and simple, without sentimentality and stylistic flourishes. It’s quietude and thrift that lend the film its humane depth and overwhelming compassion. There’s clarity, conviction, and grace to their filmmaking."[17]

References

edit
  1. ^ Patten, Anthony D'Alessandro, Dominic; D'Alessandro, Anthony; Patten, Dominic (2023-12-06). "Sundance Unveils Packed 2024 Lineup That Includes A.I., Pedro Pascal, Kristen Stewart, Satan, Devo & Steven Yeun". Deadline. Retrieved 2024-01-02.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  2. ^ Morgan, David (2024-01-27). "More highlights from the 2024 Sundance Film Festival - CBS News". www.cbsnews.com. Retrieved 2024-01-29.
  3. ^ Gates, Marya E. "Sundance 2024: Sujo, In the Land of Brothers, Veni Vidi Vici | Festivals & Awards | Roger Ebert". www.rogerebert.com/. Retrieved 2024-02-18.
  4. ^ "Program Guide | 2024 Sundance Film Festival". festival.sundance.org. Retrieved 2024-01-02.
  5. ^ "In the Land of Brothers | Rotten Tomatoes". www.rottentomatoes.com. Retrieved 2024-01-17.
  6. ^ Barraclough, Leo (2024-01-17). "Sundance-Bound Iranian Film 'In the Land of Brothers' Nabbed by September Film in Benelux (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved 2024-01-17.
  7. ^ "Soderbergh, 'Freaky Tales' and a Kristen Stewart double bill headline Sundance 2024". Los Angeles Times. 2023-12-06. Retrieved 2024-01-02.
  8. ^ Staff, F. N. E. "Karlovy Vary IFF Unveils Official Selection and Juries of the 58th Edition - FilmNewEurope.com". www.filmneweurope.com. Retrieved 2024-07-06.
  9. ^ "In the Land of Brothers | Rotten Tomatoes". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 2024-11-30.
  10. ^ Schwartz, Missy (2024-01-26). "Sundance 2024: In the Summers, Dìdi Win Top Awards". TheWrap. Retrieved 2024-01-27.
  11. ^ "Variety". Variety. Retrieved 2024-02-02.
  12. ^ Hipes, Anthony D'Alessandro, Patrick; D'Alessandro, Anthony; Hipes, Patrick (2024-01-26). "Sundance Film Festival Awards: 'In The Summers', 'Dìdi', 'Daughters' Top Winners List". Deadline. Retrieved 2024-05-12.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  13. ^ "Iranian drama "In the Land of Brothers" wins best director award at Malaysia International Film Fest". Tehran Times. 2024-07-30. Retrieved 2024-10-14.
  14. ^ Malaoui, Farah (2024-10-12). "Palmarès 2024 du Festival international du film de Saint-Jean-de-Luz : Se (re)connecter à soi-même et aux autres". Cult (in French). Retrieved 2024-10-14.
  15. ^ Elfadl, Murtada (2024-01-28). "'In the Land of Brothers' Review: An Assured Debut From Iranian Filmmakers Raha Amirfazli and Alireza Ghasemi". Variety. Retrieved 2024-07-06.
  16. ^ Han, Grace (2024-02-13). "Film Review: In the Land of Brothers (2024) by Raha Amirfazli, Alireza Ghasemi". Asian Movie Pulse. Retrieved 2024-07-06.
  17. ^ Joshi, Namrata (2024-02-06). "Cinema Without Borders: In the Land of Brothers — Finding home in a foreign land". Cinema Express. Retrieved 2024-07-06.