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ARCHIVE

25th(2023)



Tahmina RAFAELLA

  • Azerbaijan, France, Iran, Italy
  • 2022
  • Korean Premiere
  • 90min
  • DCP
  • color

Korean Premiere

SYNOPSIS

Accused of being an unfit mother by her influential husband, Banu fights for the custody of her son amid the chaos of the final days of the Second Nagorno-Karabakh War. She has four days to find a single voice to speak on her behalf. 

PROGRAM NOTE

In the film's first scene, Banu's anxious face takes the audience's breath away. The heart of a full-time housewife in divorce lawsuit proceedings with her wealthy husband must feel the same as that scene. When Banu reports that her husband kidnapped their little son, she is rebuked and driven away with a sarcastic comment, "It is impossible for a father to kidnap a son." Her husband, an alcoholic and domestic abuser, tries to portray Banu as an unfit mother to gain sole custody. The mother has legal custody of the children, but in divorce proceedings, patriarchal power often sides with the father, which is common. This feature-length debut film by Tahmina Rafaella is based on the extraordinary realities of her home country, Azerbaijan. There has been a long-standing conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia, the former Soviet Union countries. The film incorporates the actuality of women into Banu's journey, the reality of the war provoked by men that result in someone losing their husbands, fathers, brothers, or sons every day. Banu's grueling process of seeking someone to testify that she is a worthy mother resonates with Two Days, One Night (2014) by the Dardenne brothers, which illustrates female laborers visiting their coworkers to keep their jobs, as well as A Separation (2011), directed by Asghar Farhadi, which digs into various social issues in a married couple's conflict situation. The film stands out for the director and actor's portrayal of Banu's psychological changes, crafted with exceptional character-centric cinematographic techniques. [NA Wonjeong]

Director

  • Tahmina RAFAELLATahmina RAFAELLA

    An Azerbaijani filmmaker and actor. She wrote Inner City in 2015, a feature film funded by the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Azerbaijan. The film was screened and won at multiple international film festivals. Her directorial debut, A Woman, which she wrote, produced, and acted in, premiered at the Palm Springs Intl. ShortFest, winning awards at numerous film festivals.

Credit

  • ProducerKatayoon SHAHABI
  • Cast Tahmina RAFAELLA
  • Screenwriter Tahmina RAFAELLA
  • Cinematography Touraj ASLANI
  • Editor Mastaneh MOHAJER​
  • Sound Morteza NAJAFLOO