30. Film Festival della Lessinia
Bosco Chiesanuova (Italia)
23 August - 1 September 2024

Italian premiere

Yashar left Iran to cross the sea: in Paris an uncle awaits him as does, perhaps, a new life. After months spent in Italy waiting for his friend Ali, of whom he has no further news, he decides to cross the border into France. At the border buses and trains are guarded and no one seems to be able to help him cross the mountains. Vincent appears on his way: he can accompany him on his motorbike to the slopes and then guide him in the woods. Sébastien de Monbrison approaches his protagonist, framing his face in frequent close-ups that encompass the staging. The verses of the Persian poet Hāfez seem to be the only familiar traces along the path of exile, dotted with traps and predators. Shots from hunters echo off the rock faces as Yashar finds refuge in the forest, guarded by the wolf's glance. Under the earth, at the roots of the trees, he can return to his native places, and to a distant and perhaps lost love, before meeting his fate just a few steps from the top.

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  Sébastien de Monbrison

  Of French father and Egyptian mother, Sébastien trained as an anthropologist, concentrating his research on the rites of possession. In 2005 he made his first documentary and worked in parallel as a director and actor for the theatre. In 2014 he directed with Pierre Alfred Eberhard Je fais du squash aussi, a short film awarded prizes in numerous festivals.