“Between the Cliffs” nominated for Wales Int’l Film Festival's best award

The Iranian film “Between the Cliffs” written and directed by Mokhtar Abdollahi has been nominated for best award at the seventh edition of the annual Wales International Film Festival (WalesIFF) will be held online on 14-15 September 2023 on the SparqFest platform.

The film tells the story of Ebrahim and his little sister Ilma, who tend their cattle in the mountains when their parents go to town on an errand. In a rock crevice, honeybees buzz, and Ebrahim climbs for their nest. Easier said than done – with an injured foot, Ebrahim gets stuck on a ledge. Now it's up to Ilma to manage on her own.

Hamidreza Gheibi, Andia Yahyapour, Maryam Alahmad and Esmaeil Moradi are in the cast of the film that is produced by the Documentary, Experimental and Animation Film Center of Iran.

Mokhtar Abdollahi, 47, is a graduate of scriptwriting. He is best known for his short story collection, “Seven” (2009), and his novel, “Cubic Man” (2012).

“Between the Cliffs” is Abdollahi’s debut feature film that was made in 2021. The 78-minute drama premiered at the national competition section of Isfahan Children’s Film Festival in Iran and won Grand Prix and the Best Child Actress Award at the event.

It has participated in four international film festivals so far including Dhaka International Film Festival (January 2023, Bangladesh), BUFF Film Festival (March 2023, Sweden), CMS International Children’s Film Festival (April 2023, India), and Within the Family Film Festival (July 2023, Russia).

Taking part in the Children’s Films Competition section of the Russian festival, the movie grabbed the Best Film Award and Best Performance Award (jointly for Hamid Reza Gheibi and Andia Yahyapour).