TEHRAN, Jun. 08 (MNA) – Mehrdad Oskouei’s ‘Starless Dreams’ documentary which depicts the life of girls in rehab centers in Iran, will be screened in the 39th Norwegian Short Film Festival.


The Norwegian Short Film Festival is a short film and documentary festival which will be holding its 39th edition on June 8–12 2016, in the city of Grimstad.

This year, six international documentaries have been selected to compete in the festival, including 'Wiener' by Josh Kriegman and Elyse Steinberg, 'Fire at Sea' by Gianfranco Rosi, and 'Lo and Behold' by Werner Herzog.

Oskouei’s ‘Starless Dreams’ documentary narrates the lives of a group of under 18-year-old girls taken into care for a variety of reasons ranging from drug dealing and trafficking, to pick-pocketing and manslaughter. Though bored with their incarcerated life, they are, nevertheless, scared about what might happen to them once outside. As the New Year approaches they all hope to celebrate it with their families.

This 2016 production is considered as the very first movie about girls in the correctional and rehabilitation centers of Iran. Oskouei, the screenwriter, director and producer of ‘Starless Dreams’, says his film ‘tries to act as the voice of voiceless innocent girls whose mistreatment and bad upbringing led them to a life of delinquency.’

The film has so far won 11 awards in national and international film festivals, including the Amnesty International Film Prize at the 66th Internationale Filmfestspiele Berlinale-Generation 14plus, Germany, and the Full Frame Inspiration Award at the 19th Full Frame Documentary Film Festival, North Carolina, USA.

By Mehr News Agency