‘The Sweet Perfume’ globetrots with Argentina prize, new festival stops
Iranian filmmaker Mohammadreza Mohammadi clinched the top award at Argentina’s Short Long World Festival this week as his short drama ‘The Sweet Perfume’ chalked up fresh competition slots in Poland, Italy and Nigeria.
Mohammadi, who wrote the script with Samira Gandom-Goon and produced the project himself, picked up the Best Film prize at the festival’s ninth edition in the north-eastern city of Corrientes, which ran from November 12 to 14, ILNA reported.
The Argentinian event, known for championing cinematic craft with an educational bent, positions its program as a visual “message” aimed at strengthening communities as well as individuals.
The 20-minute film now heads to Europe, where Euroshorts, a Polish festival founded in 1992 to back emerging creators, will screen 75 titles from December 1 to 13 in several Baltic-coast venues. The organizers folded in an international short-film competition seven years after launch, turning the event into one of central Europe’s more durable showcases for new directors.
Mohammadi’s drama also enters Italy’s Rieti and Sabina Film Festival on November 25 in Rome. The Italian platform, which seeks to spark crossover between established practitioners and younger talent, has built a reputation for spotting new writers and directors before they push into larger European circuits.
Nigeria’s Benin City Film Festival will close out the film’s November run from 27 to 29 November. The southern Nigerian gathering, regarded as one of the country’s more energetic indie forums, brings together newcomers and veteran filmmakers to swap ideas and forge partnerships that often outlive the festival cycle.
‘The Sweet Perfume’ follows Roghayeh, a schoolgirl who reels from a sharp bout of dizziness and nausea during a national examination after catching the “sweet” scent of a classmate’s perfume. Another pupil notices her vulnerability and starts picking on her, driving the drama’s emotional arc.
The cast includes Roghayeh Nikou, Shahla Rahmani, Nazanin Asgari, Mohaddeseh Rahimi-Rad, Nahid Sarvari and Saeedeh Gazrani.