I caught this on the Red Eye —
SAIC student from Iran nominated for Cannes award SAIC student’s short film nominated for Cannes award It’s only been two years since Anahita Ghazvinizadeh moved from Iran to the U.S. to pursue a film-focused master’s in studio art at the School of the Art Institute Chicago, but the 23-year-old filmmaker already has racked up a nomination for the Cannes Film Festival’s prestigious Cinéfondation Prize.
“I was really surprised and very happy,†Ghazvinizadeh said. “We worked really hard on this film, but I wasn’t expecting that it would get into a great festival like Cannes.â€
Ghazvinizadeh’s 21-minute short film, “Needle,†the story of a preteen girl getting her ears pierced, was one of 1,550 entries from 277 schools all over the world.
She said the nomination has been doubly rewarding because it recognizes the first film project that she completed in the U.S. after moving from Iran. Before “Needle,†Ghazvinizadeh had already completed a short film called “When the Kid was a Kid†and co-written a feature film, “Mourning,†in Iran, but “Needle†was the first project she made in the U.S. (read more)
Needle – Trailer from Anahita Ghazvinizadeh on Vimeo.
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