Feature
Mania Akbari
Iran, 2007
Betacam SP (PAL) (DVcam). 77min. Color
Photography: Tooraj Aslani, Kohyar Kalari, Faraz Heydari, Mania Akbari
Editor: Mastaneh Mohajer
Screenplay: Mania Akbari
Actors: Mania Akbari, Amin Maher, Behnaz Jafari, Roya Akbari
Mania Akbari's sequel (of sorts) to Abbas Kiarostami's Ten walks the delicate line between art and life. Conversations with her friends and family are caught and recorded within the intimate spaces of a car and, finally, a hospitable bed. Mania is suffering from cancer and as her disease progresses it ultimately dictates the nature of her journey, a new experience in which the director is being directed by her cancer in the process of making the film.
Mania Akbari (Iran, 1974) began painting and later collaborated on Iranian independent films first as director of photography and then as assistant director. She played the lead role in Abbas Kiarostami's Ten (2002) and has since written and directed a number of films including the collection and 6 Video Arts (2004-2007) and 20 Fingers (2004).