Saturday, March 18 / 1:00 pm / ByTowne Cinema

Program: Everything Will Be Alright, Until Tomorrow
Guest: Farhad Pakdel, director of Everything Will Be Alright


Feature presentation \

Until Tomorrow

Ta farda

2022 / 86 minutes / Iran, France, Qatar
Director: Ali Asgari
Writers: Ali Asgari, Alireza Khatami
Language: Farsi
Subtitles: English

desperation \ caretaking \ hope

One frantic day in Tehran for Fereshteh. A regular day would hold enough struggles itself; balancing her classes, her job at a print shop, and her 2-month-old daughter, all on her own. But when her parents call to announce a spontaneous visit to the city tonight, Fereshteh needs to think on her feet- and quickly. Her parents do not know, and would not approve, that she has had a child out of wedlock. Finding neighbours to temporarily store her baby’s things is only the first struggle. With her best friend Atefeh unable to take the baby, as she lives in a strict dorm, the pair will spend a harrowing day on their quest that takes them around the city -to friends, family, and even strangers- trying to find someone to take care of her daughter for the night. Until Tomorrow gives more than just the thrill of protagonists racing against a clock. The film dares to portray an Iranian woman living outside traditional family structures and to expose the horrors of a society that will not help her. Despite the unjust system around them, the film also shows how millennials are intrepidly making their way through, making their lives their own.

- Tish Chambers

Il s’agit d’une journée des plus agitées à Téhéran pour Fereshteh. Une journée ordinaire aurait son propre lot d’obstacles; jongler entre ses cours, son travail à l’imprimerie et sa fille de deux mois — toute seule. Mais lorsque ses parents l’appellent pour lui annoncer une visite spontanée dans la ville le soir même, Fereshteh doit réagir rapidement. Ses parents ne savent pas qu’elle a eu un enfant hors mariage, chose qu’ils n’approuveraient pas. Trouver des voisins chez qui entreposer des articles de bébé n’est que la première difficulté. Elle et son amie Atefeh, qui ne peut pas prendre l’enfant puisqu’elle vit dans un dortoir strict, passeront une journée éprouvante en cette quête qui les mènera d’un bout à l’autre de la ville — chez des amis, de la famille et même, des étranger — à tenter de trouver quelqu’un qui pourrait prendre soin de sa fille cette nuit-là. Until Tomorrow n’offre pas que les émotions fortes des voir les protagonistes courir contre la montre. Le film ose illustrer une femme iranienne qui vit en dehors des structures familiales traditionnelles et exposer les horreurs d’une société qui ne l’aidera pas. Malgré un système injuste qui les entoure, le film montre également comment les milléniaux se fraient un chemin intrépidement et bâtissent leur propre vie.

- Tish Chambers (traduit par Jacinthe Grenier-Albert)

PRESS

Cineuropa Review

Until Tomorrow praised at Zurich Film Festival

Until Tomorrow: Berlin Review


AWARDS

Mostra de València-Cinema del Mediterrani 2022, Best Film, Best Actress

Rome MedFilm Festival 2022, Best Film Amore and Psiche Award, Collateral Awards University Jury, Valentina Pedicini Award

Rome MedFilm Festival 2021, Audience Award

Zurich Film Festival 2022, Special Mention


Short film \

Everything Will Be Alright

2022 / 16 minutes / Quebec
Director: Farhad Pakdel

Amidst the outbreak of the pandemic in Montreal, a drama teacher who has been keeping a secret from her family finds herself in a predicament after her father falls ill and she is called back home.