by Ashkan Nematian
Producer NEMATIANfilm
LOOTEYO by Ashkan Nematian
83 min | Iran / Austria | 2022
While Mansour (Mansour Daryanavard) is happily playing soccer on the beach, his father falls victim to gunfire between drug dealers and the water police, shot dead by a stray bullet. From then on, the enterprising lad takes on responsibility for his mother. Her dream is to open a café on the Iranian island of Hormuz, where she and her son lead a modest existence. Mansour tries his hand at being a tourist guide, using his cycle rickshaw to ferry bored city dwellers through the handsome rocky landscapes of his home island. When someone asks him to do a one-off courier job, he senses an opportunity for big money. He is hardly aware of the dangers involved in this scheme.
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1 Std. 24 Min.2023X-Ray16 Drama•Arthouse
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While Mansour (Mansour Daryanavard) is happily playing soccer on the beach, his father falls victim to gunfire between drug dealers and the water police, shot dead by a stray bullet. From then on, the enterprising lad takes on responsibility for his mother. Her dream is to open a café on the Iranian island of Hormuz, where she and her son lead a modest existence. Mansour tries his hand at being a tourist guide, using his cycle rickshaw to ferry bored city dwellers through the handsome rocky landscapes of his home island. When someone asks him to do a one-off courier job, he senses an opportunity for big money. He is hardly aware of the dangers involved in this scheme.
In Looteyo, the laudable feature film debut of Iranian-born Ashkan Nematian, the tradition of Abbas Kiarostami’s early work is carried on under different auspices. Mansour’s resolute resourcefulness, driven by hope for a better life, is at times reminiscent of the restless young soccer fan in Kiarostami’s The Traveler (Mosāfer, 1974). Like his legendary role model, Nematian, who studied at the University of Arts Linz, sketches en passant a carefree but frayed portrait of everyday life and a social panorama full of noteworthy details.
His portrait of morality, however, is less allegorical and more strongly grounded in documentary. The pulse of Hormuz sets the pace of the action: noise and silence, lights and shadows, nature and the streets of the rugged island in the Persian Gulf all give the chain of events and their erratic rhythms a concretely localized, singular ambience. The agile and intuitive camera work, which usually remains at eye level with the precocious protagonist, also provides grounding –except when it drifts off into episodes of dramatic suspense. (Andrey Arnold)
Translation: John Wojtowicz
Year of production 2022
Length 83′
Country Iran / Austria
Shooting Format Digital
Aspect Ratio 1.66:1
Dialogue Farsi
Director
Ashkan Nematian
Script
Ashkan Nematian
Cinematography
Ashkan Nematian
Editing
Sound
Line Producer
Actor/Actress
Mansour Daryanavard, Saeed Zarei, Atena Nematian, Zahra Iranmanesh, Maryam Kian, Kian Daryanavard
Executive Producer
Ashkan Nematian, Hadi Alimohammadi
Festival selections
Wien – this human world International Human Rights Film Festival
Linz – Crossing Europe Film Festival
We are immensely proud to have collaborated with the esteemed film editor Hayedeh Safiyari on our film Looteyo. A prominent member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, Safiyari has edited over 80 feature films and numerous documentaries throughout her distinguished career.
Her longstanding partnership with director Asghar Farhadi includes acclaimed films such as A Separation and The Salesman, both honored with the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film.
Safiyari’s exceptional talent and dedication have significantly enriched Looteyo, and we are honored to have worked alongside such a distinguished professional.
Our commitment to excellence, robust network, and innovative digital platform ensures an unparalleled leasing experience.
We are immensely proud to have collaborated with the esteemed sound designer Ensieh Maleki on our film Looteyo. Ms. Maleki, an Oscar Academy member, is renowned for her exceptional work in sound design and mixing. She notably contributed to Abbas Kiarostami’s final film, 24 Frames, where her sound design was lauded for capturing the rich, peaceful sounds of nature.
Her expertise has significantly enhanced the auditory experience of Looteyo, and we are honored to have worked with such a distinguished professional.
