Experiencing Interruptions?

Alan

Many Kurdish families in Syria and Iraq have lost their homes and families after ISIS attacks. The story of this film is about one of them.

(French)
En Syrie et en Irak, de nombreuses familles kurdes ont perdu leur maison dans les attaques de l'État islamique. Voici l'histoire de l'une d'entre elles.

  • Mostafa Gandomkar
    Director
  • Mostafa Gandomkar
    Writer
  • Mostafa Gandomkar
    Producer
  • Hashem Moradi
    Cinematographer
  • Sadeq Rezania
    Editor
  • Arash Qasemi
    Sound
  • Majid Mohammaddoust
    Festival Distributor
  • Project Type:
    Short
  • Genres:
    Drama, war, human right, kurdish, family
  • Runtime:
    20 minutes
  • Completion Date:
    February 4, 2017
  • Country of Origin:
    Iran, Islamic Republic of
  • Country of Filming:
    Iran, Islamic Republic of
  • Language:
    Kurdish
  • Shooting Format:
    RED
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • The 39th Clermont-Ferrand Short Film Festival
    Clermont-Ferrand
    France
    February 4, 2017
    World Premiere
    International Competition
  • 28th Sao Paulo International Short Film Festival
    São Paulo
    Brazil
    August 23, 2017
    South America Premiere
    International Competition
  • 34th Tehran International Short Film Festival
    Tehran
    Iran, Islamic Republic of
    October 17, 2017
  • 17th Festival International du Court Métrage de Lille
    lille
    France
    September 23, 2017
    Official Selection - International Competition
  • 5th Duhok International Film Festival 2017
    Duhok
    Iraq
    September 9, 2017
    Golden Leaf for Best Short Kurdis Film
  • 15th Dublin International Film Festival 2018
    Dublin
    Ireland
    February 22, 2018
    Semi-finalist
  • 17th BIFF - Beirut International film Festival
    Beirut
    Lebanon
    October 4, 2017
    Public Square Section
  • 14th Salento International Film Festival
    Salento
    Italy
    September 1, 2017
    Italy Premiere
    Official Selection- International Competition
  • 16th Silhouette Film Festival 2017
    Paris
    France
    August 28, 2017
    Official Selection
  • 14th Intl. Short Film Festival "kurz.film.spiele"
    spiele
    Germany
    October 21, 2017
    German Premier
    First Prize
  • 28th Séquence Short Film Festival
    Toulouse
    France
    November 22, 2017
  • 10TH London Kurdish Film Festival
    LONDON
    United Kingdom
    April 13, 2018
    United Kingdom Premiere
    Official Selection
  • 11th Jahorina Film Festival

    Bosnia and Herzegovina
    September 20, 2017
    OFFICIAL SELECTION
  • 8th Independent Short Film Festival
    Tehran
    Iran, Islamic Republic of
    August 27, 2017
    National Premiere
    Official Selection
  • 14th Sedicicorto International Film Fest.
    Forlì
    Italy
    October 6, 2017
  • 7th Yılmaz Güney Film Festival

    Turkey
    April 27, 2018
    Official Selection
  • 13th Neue HEIMAT Film Fest.

    Germany
    August 25, 2017
    German Premier
    OFFICIAL SELECTION
  • 5th 9FilmFest
    Bangkok
    Thailand
    December 15, 2017
  • Redline International Film Festival

    Canada
    February 1, 2018
    Best Director Award
  • 6th Bengaluru International Short Film Festival
    Bengaluru
    India
    September 15, 2017
  • 4th Samara Film Festival "70/30"
    Samara
    Russian Federation
    October 29, 2017
    Special Screening
  • 57th IYCS Regional Festival Festival (Shabdiz)
    Kermanshah
    Iran, Islamic Republic of
    September 13, 2017
    Best Sound Prize
  • PARTIE(S) DE CAMPAGNE 2017
    Paris
    France
    July 13, 2017
    LES PROGRAMMES INTERNATIONAUX
  • 35th Fajr International Film Festival
    Tehran
    Iran, Islamic Republic of
    May 2, 2017
    Broken Olive Trees - International non-competition
  • The 5th Festival Cinéma(s) d'Iran
    Paris
    France
    June 14, 2017
    Mid-East Premier
  • XIII Pontino Short Film Festival
    Latina
    Italy
    December 14, 2018
Director Biography - Mostafa Gandomkar

Mostafa Gandomkar, 1986, Iran
Producer and Director

M.A in Cinema from Tehran University of Art

Coat/2012/
Be Soo-Ye Khoshbakhti/2009/

He is currently teaching cinema at some universities and Iranian Youth Cinema Society as well.
He started artistic activities in cinema by photography when he was studying graphic as his bachelor.
He started documentary filmmaking by directing “Be Soo-ye Khoshbakhti” at the beginning of his master.
He continued by documentary film editing and directing.
“Coat” which nominated for The Best Short Film Award in Nahal Student Film Festival, was his first short film as a director.
That was on confrontation between managers and students at a school. The film showed his interest in Kiarostami’s cinema including working with non-actors and criticism of the education system.
“Alan” as the only short film from Iran in 39th Clermont-errand International Short Film Festival, came out du his orientation of integration documentary and drama with his ethnographic approach to portray a day in the life of a Kurdish family just before dispersion!

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

Reviews on "Alan" from DC Shorts Film Festival

1- I would watch this film with someone just to see their reaction to the ending. Abruptly going to black and letting the sound of destruction grow in proximity was a wonderful choice. It has a
clever structure in that it shows a thriving family life and happy home with a beautiful light inside it that suddenly gets snuffed out and destroyed by political unrest. I have seen movies in this genre before - most based in west Africa - but this was a different perspective in Arab conflict. It was purely from an ordinary, loving family's point of view. I liked it.

2- It is so hard to really understand what it is like for the many people displaced from their homes due to violence/political unrest/war, which is why this film is so powerful. The threat of violence is a constant undertone in their lives yet, until the last possible moment, they are able to continue with their happy celebration. Each scene portrayed the day to day realities of life for this family in such vivid detail.

Director’s Statement:
The main idea of this film popped up in my mind when I saw the image of Alan (Syrian-Kurdish innocent children who was found lying face-down on a beach quietly).
I think that was very heartbreaking picture and will likely go down the annals of history as one of the most iconic symbol.
Although there is no direct connection between my film and Alan’s story, of course they are not irrelevant!
Watching Syrian and Kurdish refugees behind European borders, military confrontations and often bad behavior to those families, this basic question was born in my mind: Were they born homeless?!
In this film I tried to portray their hope and happiness before their dispersion to indicate all refugees in the Middle East had their own homes and their own dreams prior those wars. They all were thinking about their children’s happiness just before this situation.