In the sequel to Abbas Kiarostami’s ‘Ten’, director Mania Akbari (the cab driver who interviewed passengers from different walks of life in “Ten”) documents her fight with cancer. This time as a passenger, the camera follows her through treatments and various conversations with friends and family members in memorable locations. In the wake of her dire illness, she reflects on the impact of mortality on social interactions and how death causes people to reevaluate how they look at life.
Documentary, Social Issue, 77 minutes, Persian w/English Subtitles, Iran (2007)
Born in 1974 in Iran, Mania Akbari began her artistic career as a painter in 1991, participating in several group and solo exhibitions in Iran and abroad. She entered Iranian independent films as a director of photography and then as an assistant director in documentaries. In 2002, Akbari played the main role in Abbas Kiarostami’s “Ten” – one of the most prestigious Iranian films which was viewed worldwide, and became famous for her performance as herself. In 2006, Akbari started to make a sequel to Kiarostami’s “Ten” called “10 + 4″ which referred to the 4 years between the two films.
- Les Rencontres du cinema documentaire (2010/ France)
- Atmosphers 53 / Reflets du Cine Film Festival (2009/ France)
- Winner of Best Feature Film Award, A’lternativa Festival de Cinema Independent de Barcelona (2008/ Spain)
- Sao Paulo International Film Festival (17 – 30 Oct 2008/ Brazil)
- Winner of Best Actress in Mondo Chico Section, Festivalito (2008/ Spain)
- San Francisco International Film Festival (24 April – 8 May 2008/ USA)
- Winner of Best Film and Best Director, Int’l Film Festival of Kerala (2007/ India)
- Winner of Young Public, Festival 3 Continents (2007/ France)
- Vancouver Int’l Film Festival (27 Sep – 12 Oct 2007/ Canada)
Cast: Mania Akbari, Amin Maher, Behnaz Jafari, Roya Akbari, Mina Hamidi, Maedeh Tahmasebi, Bahareh Mosadeghiyan, Jinous Azadegan, Ramin Rastad
Director & Screenwriter: Mania Akbari
Editor: Mastaneh Mohajer
Photography: Tooraj Aslani, Kohyar Kalari, Faraz Heydari, Mania Akbari
Assistant Director: Ramin Rastad and Mina Ali-Akbari
Sound & Mix: Kambiz Saffar
Producer: Mania Akbari, Shahram Shahandeh