Nima Javidi’s acclaimed drama "Melbourne” is the sole Iranian film competing with eight other movies from across the world in the main section of the festival.
The film won accolades at several international events including the 52nd Gijón International Film Festival in Spain and the 29th Mar del Plata International Film Festival in Argentina.
"Melbourne” tells the story of a young couple, Amir and Sara, who plan to leave their homeland seeking a new life in the Australian coastal city of Melbourne. However, a tragic event puts their plan at risk.
The Iranian lineup also includes "Goodbye” and "Manuscripts Don’t Burn”, both directed by Mohammad Rasulof, and "A Respected Family” directed by Masud Bakhshi, which are screening in the Breathless section.
Rasulof also is a member of the festival’s international jury, which is led by Chinese director Wang Chao.
The organizers of the festival also selected six films for Focus Iranian Independents, a section that is exclusively for screening films from indie movies from Iran.
The films are "Please Don’t Disturb” by Mohsen Abdolvahab, "Rainy Seasons” by Majid Barzegar, "The Last Step” by Ali Mosaffa, "The Wedlock” by Ruhollah Hejazi, "The Sale” by Hossein Shahabi, and "I Am Not Angry” by Reza Dormishian.
"Iranian Ninja” directed by Marjan Riahi is competing in the documentary section.
The documentary chronicles the struggles of Khatereh Jalilzadeh in Tehran who teaches young girls how to twirl nunchucks and launch dropkicks.
Ninety films are competing in various section of the Vesoul festival, one of the oldest and most popular events in Europe, which comes to an end on Tuesday.