“Isatis”, “Water, Wind, Dust & Bread”, “Slow and Sluggish”, “Unrest”, “Fika & Fidan” and “Huntsman” will be screened in different sections of the festival, which will take place in the Russian capital from August 15 to 28.

“Isatis”, a documentary by Alireza Dehqan about one man’s journey to the desert in central Iran, will be the closing film of the festival. It will be competing in the Doker Kids category. 

Isatis is the first adobe city and the second historical city in the world. Water, wind, soil and fire narrate the story of this thousands-year-old city. The water story is narrated by the people who built aqueducts in Isatis, a town in the heart of the desert. The story of the wind is narrated by the city of wind catchers from the people who conquered the wind to survive in a hot and dry city. The story of the soil is narrated by people who constructed the world’s oldest adobe city. The story of the sacred fire is related from Zoroastrian masters to huge factories. The story of the kind dialogue between religions and the scent of faith is also told. The secret to perfection and peaceful permanence can be found only in harmony with nature.

The winner of a special mention from the 2021 IDFA jury, “Water, Wind, Dust, Bread” will be screened in the Doker Short Competition.

Director Mehdi Zamanpur Kiasari brings a poetic story about the life of Abolfazl, an 11-year-old boy who is missing both hands. Despite his disability, Abolfazl lives a full life with his family and friend Setayesh in a palm orchard near the Afghan-Iranian border, where foreign visitors often head for eco-tourism. He and his eight-year-old friend, Setayesh, belong to a group of stateless children living in the remote border area of Iran, and having no birth certificate poses a major disadvantage for their future.

The section also features “Unrest” directed by Mohammad-Sadeq Esmaeili. It is about a 14-year-old teenager who runs away from the house of his addicted father who forces him to live in an orphanage. Now he is trying hard to find his absent mother just for the first time. Additionally, he does not have an ID card and this is causing many problems in his daily life.

“Slow and Sluggish” by Delavar Doostanian tells the story of a pair of snails living peacefully on a beautiful plain but they decide to return to their hometown. One of them enters the city, goes into a house of characters and also faces deadly accidents on the way.

Doostanian’s “Fika & Fidan” and “Huntsman” will also be shown in the Doker Kids category.

“Fika & Fidan” is about a cat named Fidan who was rescued as a kitten by a girl and eventually lives in peace, but with the arrival of a cat named Fika he becomes stressed and acts violently against her.

“Huntsman” follows an agama reptile from the lizard family that falls in love with a female agama and starts a family. They live in peace with their child in nature until a predator enters their territory causing fatalities for them.

Photo: A scene from the Iranian documentary “Isatis” directed by Alireza Dehqan.