TEHRAN – Iranian actress-cum-director Niki Karimi plans to make her next film about Iranian immigrants who live in the United Arab Emirates.
“It’s about Iranian immigrants living there. I got all the permissions sorted out and I will begin to shoot in March,” said Karimi told the Gulf News.
Karimi is now in UAE to judge in the Narrative Section of the Abu Dhabi International Film Festival, which runs until October 20.
“Many people say Dubai is a fake city. But I have seen many brilliant Emirati poets at the Dubai [International] Film Festival. Also, I have many Iranian friends and the film will tell their stories. We are in the pre-production stages now,” Karimi added.
She said that she was on jury panels in several international festivals but she loves to “discover talent in this region”.
Karimi rose to fame by acting in Behruz Afkhami’s hit “Bride” in 1990. She appeared in films by Dariush Mehrjuii, Masud Kimiaii and several other prominent Iranian filmmakers.
“To Have or Not to Have”, a documentary on a number of Iranian infertile couples trying to have children, was her directorial debut in 2001.
She then made features “One Night” and “A Few Days Later”, both of which were female-centered dramas.
Karimi’s latest film “Final Whistle” was welcomed at its Iranian premiere in August.
She was also one of the jury members for the Izmir International Short Film Festival in 2006 and was selected for the jury of the 48th Antalya Golden Orange Film Festival in Turkey 2011.
She was president of the jury for the 3rd Reykjavik International Film Festival in Iceland in 2006.
SB/YAW
END