Shirin Neshat's 'Looking for Oum Kulthum' to Compete at Venice Film Festival
Shirin Neshat, an Iranian artist hailing from Qazvin and born in 1957, is set to showcase her film 'Looking for Oum Kulthum' during the Venice Days at the 74th Venice International Film Festival, taking place from August 30 to September 9, 2017. A decade after winning the Golden Lion in 1999 for her video works 'Turbulent' and 'Rapture', Neshat returns to Venice, having previously earned the Silver Lion for Best Director in 2009 for 'Women Without Men'. The film, produced by In Between Art Film, tells the story of Mitra, a woman grappling with personal and artistic challenges while creating a film about the iconic singer Oum Kulthum. Neshat, who cannot return to Iran due to a fatwa, addresses issues of religious extremism and the plight of women. The screening is scheduled for September 2 at 5 PM.
Key facts
- Shirin Neshat presents 'Looking for Oum Kulthum' at the 74th Venice Film Festival.
- The film is in competition in the Venice Days section.
- Festival runs from August 30 to September 9, 2017.
- Neshat previously won the Silver Lion in 2009 for 'Women Without Men'.
- She won the Golden Lion at the 48th Venice Biennale in 1999.
- The film is produced by In Between Art Film, founded by Beatrice Bulgari in 2012.
- The story follows Mitra making a film about Egyptian singer Oum Kulthum.
- Neshat is barred from Iran due to a fatwa declared at the 2013 Berlinale.
Entities
Artists
- Shirin Neshat
- Shahrnush Parsipur
- Mohammad Mossadegh
- Oum Kulthum
- Riccardo Muti
- Beatrice Bulgari
- Shoja Azari
- Raiz
- Gianni Valentino
Institutions
- Venice Film Festival
- Venice Days
- Venice Biennale
- Salzburg Festival
- In Between Art Film
- Berlinale
- Artribune
- Madre museum
- VIVO Film
- Videocittà
Locations
- Qazvin
- Iran
- Venice
- Italy
- Salzburg
- Austria
- Naples
- Turin
- Rome
- New York