Half Moon

Synopsis
Mamo, an old renowned Kurdish musician, has begun a journey to Iraq with his sons to perform a concert after the fall of Saddam Hossein. Kako, a middle-aged man and a huge fan of Mamo's, enthusiastically escorts them in an orange mini bus which he has borrowed from a friend. Mamo gathers his sons one by one from different areas. The last son who joins the team insists on speaking to Mamo in private. He explains to Mamo that the Wise man of the village has predicted that Mamo should not go on the trip because, as the full moon nears, something awful will happen to him. Mamo persists on continuing his journey. He claims that he must continue his trip despite all the obstacles because he was not allowed to perform in Iraq for many years. Mamo intends to take Hesho, a female singer who lives with 1334 other women in exile, as part of his team. But the strength of Hesho's voice has dwindled along with her self confidence. While crossing the borders, Mamo’s team faces many difficulties as their journey is wrought with adventure and disaster each step of the way.

Crew
Written and Directed by:
Bahman Ghobadi

Co-Scenarist:
Behnam Behzadi
With thanks to: Kambozia Partovi

Director of Photography:
Nigel Blْuck

Additional Photography:
Chrighton Bone

Music Composed by:
Hossein Alizadeh

Sound Designed, Recorded and Edited by:
Bahman Ardalan

Edited by:
Hayedeh Safiyari

Art Directors:
Bahman Ghobadi, Mansooreh Yazdanjoo

Make-up Artist:
Mehrdad Mirkiani

Programmer and 1st Assistant Directors:
Amin Mahdavi
Jalal Saedpanah

Director's Crew:
Hamid Ghavami, Omid Rastbin, Hamid Karimi

Script:
Golkou Parhizgar

Art Director's Assistant: Mehdi Poormoosa
1st Assistant Camera: Mansoor Zohoori
2nd Assistant Camera: Bahman Nadyab
Camera Crew:
Farzad Mojtahedzadeh, Atef Amiri, Jafar Aslani

Assistant Editors:
Shabnam Hosseini
Mahmood Ghaffari

Composer's Assistant:
Ali Boustan

Titles:
Mahmood Ghaffari

Set Photographer:
Bahman Ghobadi

Behind the Scenes:
Sophie Leguenedal

Dolby Mix:
Masood Behnam, Hamid Naghibi
Sound Assistants:
Babak Ardalan, Mansoor Shahbazi
Mix Assistants:
Hossein Mafi, Ali Abolsedq

Make-up Assistants:
Reza Arabi, Elham Atiabi

International Affairs:
Mohamad Reza Safiri

Line Producers:
Hedieh Tehrani, Abbas Ghazali

Associate Producer:
Behrooz Hashemian

Executive Producer:
Simon Field, Keith Griffiths

Production Managers in iran:
Behrooz Ghobadi, Jalil Shabani

Production Supervisor:
Hosein Sabzi

Sound Studio:
Studio Bahman
Studio Saint Louen Paris

Music Studio:
Studio Dohol
Reza Askarzadeh

Film Lab: Iran Centre of Film Services & Industries

A Mij Film Production
From: Iraqi Kurdistan, Iran, Austria

This film is part of the New Crowned Hope Festival
Produced by Wiener Festwochen
Vienna Mozart Year 2006

Telekom Austria
JCDecaux
www.newcrownedhope.org

cast
Ismail Ghaffari..........................Mamo
Allah Morad Rashtiani................Kako
Farzin Sabooni
Kambiz Arshi
Sadiq Behzadpoor
Ali Ashraf Rezai
Reza Haj Khosravi
Mohamad Nahid
Bahram Zarei
Hedieh Tehrani.........................Heshow
Golshifteh Farahani...................Niwemang
Hassan Poorshirazi....................Police Officer

Awards
1) The Golden Shell (the top prize) from the 54th San Sebastian Film Festival, Spain, 2006

2) The Best Director of Photography Award from the 54th San Sebastian Film Festival, Spain, 2006

3) The Jury Award (FIPRESCI) for the Best Screenplay from the 54th San Sebastian Film Festival, Spain, 2006

4) People's Choice Award in the International Competition from 26th Istanbul International Film Festival, Turkey, April 2007

5) The Amnesty International Award from 4th IndieLisboa International Film Festival, Portugal, April 2007

6) Honorable Mention for Screenplay from the Tribeca Film Festival, New York, USA, May 2007

7) The Keys of the city from Umbria Film Festival, Italy, July 2007

8) Grand Prize of 4th Eurasia International Film Festival, Kazakhstan, October2007

9) Jury Award from 8th Ojai international Film festival, 4th - 7th October 2007, CA, U.S.A

10) The critic, Michael Atkinson, Selected Half Moon as a one of the best Movie in 2008.

Festivals "Half Moon" has participated in:

1) Toronto International Film Festival, September 7th – 16th, 2006, Canada

2) San Sebastian International Film Festival, September 21st - 30th, 2006, Spain, Section: Competition

3) Reykjavik International Film Festival, September 28th – October 8th, 2006, Iceland: Retrospective

4) Pusan International Film Festival, 11th – 20th October, 2006, Korea: Competition

5) Sao Paolo International Film Festival, 20th October – 2nd November, 2006, Brazil

6) Cineuropa Festival, Santiago de Compostela, 2nd - 30th November, 2006, Spain: Retrospective

7) Taipei Golden Horse Film Festival, 10th -24th November, 2006, Taiwan

8) Filmex International Film Festival, 17th – 26th November, 2006, Japan: Competition

9) New Crowned Hope Festival, Vienna, 14th November to 13th December, 2006, Austria

10) 28th International Festival of New Latin-American Cinema (Havana), Panorama Contemporary International Section, 5th - 15th December, 2006, Cuba

11) 4th London Kurdish Film Festival, December 8th, 2006

12) 36th Rotterdam International Film Festival, Time & Tide Section, 24th January - 4th February, 2007, Netherlands

13) 3rd Adelaid Film Festival, 23rd February - 4th March, 2007, Australia: Competition

14) Miami International Film Festival 2nd - 11th March, 2007, USA

15) Cinema Novo Bruges, 8th - 18th March, 2007, Belgium: New Crowned Hope

16) National Film Festival Copenhagen, 23rd March - 1st April, 2007, Denmark: New Crowned Hope

17) 31st Hong Kong International Film Festival, 20th March - 11 April, 2007, China

18) Istanbul International Film Festival, 31st March - 14th April, 2007, Turkey: Competition

19) Munich Fiilm Museum, 10th - 25 April, 2007, Germany: New Crowned Hope

20) 3rd Bucharest International Film Festival, Bucharest, 14th - 21st April, 2007, Romania: Competition

21) 4th International Independent Film Festival, Indialisboa, 19th - 29th April, 2007, Portugal: New Crowned Hope

22) 15th Open Doek Film Festival 19th – 29th April, 2007, Belgium

23) Tribeca Film Festival, New York, 25th April - 6th May, 2007, USA: Competition

24) Akademie der Kunste, Berlin, 1st June - 4th June, 2007, Germany

25) Sydney International Film Festival, 8th June - 24th June, 2007, Australia

26) Midnight Sun Film Festival, 13th June - 17 June, 2007, Finland

27) 28th Durban International Film Festival, 20th June - 1st July, 2007, South Africa: Competition

28) Los Angeles Film Festival 21st June – 1st July 2007 USA

29) Libertia Film Festival, Dubronville, 29th June - 4th July, 2007, Croatia

30) Festival de Granada ,Cines Del Sur, 9 – 17 June, 2007, Spain

31) Umbria Film Festival, 4th July - 8th July, 2007, Italy

32) The Barbican London NCH Program, 14 July - 19 July, 2007, UK

33) ERA New Horizons, 19th July - 29th July, 2007, Poland

34) 39th Auckland International Film Festival, 13th - 29th July, 2007, New Zealanders

35) 36th Wellington Film Festival, 20th July - 5th August, 2007, New Zealanders

36) Melbourne International Film Festival, 25th July - 12 August, 2007, Australia

37) Santiago International Film Festival, 14th - 20th August, 2007,Chile

38) Sarajevo Film Festival, 17th - 25th August, Bosnia and Herzegovina

39) ICA Film Festival, July 2007, Britain

40) International arts beauty musium Film,Boston,America,29th Aguest-6th September 2007

41)Alexandria Film festival, 4th - 10th September, 2007, Egypt

42) 10th High Museum of Art in Atlanta, Iran Cinema, July 2007, Gorjia

43) 4th Eurasia Film Festival, 23rd - 29th September 2007, Kazakhstan

44) 17th Oslo Films from South Festival, 4th – 11th October 2007, Norway

45) 8th Ojai international Film festival, 4th - 7th October 2007, CA, U.S.A

46) the 1th kurdish Film Festival of Paris, 24th - 30th October 2007, France

47) 8th Asiaticafilmmediale, 17th – 25th November, 2007, Rome, Italy

48) Black nights Film Festival, 15th November- 9th December 2007, Tallinn, Estonia

49) Ale kino Film festival, 7th- 15th December 2007, Poland

50) Prague International Film Festival, Febiofest, 27th March – 4th April 2008

51) Taitanic International Film Festival, Budapest, 3rd-13th April 2008

52) 5th Annual Kurdish Film Festival, Berlin, Germany, 24th May- 1st June 2008

53) 54th Flaherty International Film Seminar 21-27 June, 2008, NY

54) Musuem of Modern Art (Moma) 27-7 July,2008, NY

55) 7th International Nueva Mirada (New approach) 4th-10th September, 2008, Buenos Aires Argentina

56) Third Manchester Kurdish Film Festival 20th - 24th September, 2008, Manchester UK

57) Etnia Film Festival 9th -12th October, 2008, Turku, Finland

58) 7th Asian Film Festival, Third Eye, Mumbai, 16th - 23th Oct, India

59) 3rd International Film Festival of Kelara, 12th - 19th December, India

60) Iranian Film Festival in Laval-Mayenne, 10-24 March, France

Universities, Art and Cinema Foundations

BAM Rose 4 Cinemas Jacob Entertainment Inc., 6th August 2007, Brooklyn, NY

Museum of Fine Arts Theater, 29th August to 6th September 2007, Boston, Massachusetts

High Museum of Art in Atlanta, Iran Cinema, 15th September 2007, Atlanta, Georgia

Wexner Center for the Arts, 20th to 21st September 2007, Columbus, OH

Gene Siskel Film Center, 6th to 7th October 2007, Chicago, IL

Pacific Film Archives, 18th to 20th October 2007, Berkeley, CA

Cleveland Museum of Art, 26th to 28th October, Cleveland, OH

Rehoboth Beach Film Society, 7th and 11th November 2007, Rehoboth Beach, DE

Honolulu Academy of Arts, 10th to 14th November 2007, Honolulu, HI

Plaza Cinemas 14 in the Downtown Ctr. for the Arts, 19th November, Oxnard, CA

Hippodrome State Theater, 14th to 20th December 2007, Gainesville, FL

ImaginAsia New York, 20th December 2007, New York, NY

The ImaginAsia Center, 28th December 2007 to 3rd January 2008, Los Angeles, CA

Denison Museum, 22nd January 2008, Granville, OH

Paramount Center for the Arts, 24th to 30th January 2008, Peekskill, NY

Pacific Film Resources Tivoli Manor Square, 25th to 31st January 2008, Kansas City, MO

University of Richmond, 8th to 10th February 2008, Richmond, VA

Hollywood Triplex at the Paulson Theater Service, 15th to 21st February 2008, Portland, OR

Utica College of Syracuse University, 13th March 2008, Utica, NY

Buffalo Theater at Bennett Street Films, 16th to 17th March 2008, Buffalo, WY

Duke University, 2nd April 2008, Durham, NC

Cinema Dept. of Binghamton University, 4th to 6th April 2008, Binghamton, NY

The MacMillan Center of Yale University, 10th April 2008, New Haven, CT

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