Release Date: 8 July 2013Mania Akbari is one of Iran's most distinctive filmmakers and. One. Two. One is her latest feature, and most confrontational work, whose banning finally led to her exile from Iran.
Composed of rhythmically structured and meticulously planned long takes, the film presents a series of conversational pieces connected to a beautiful woman named Ava whose face has been disfigured in an acid attack. Truths emerge in close up and a narrative of love, loss and renewal unfolds from each episode. Akbari questions the concept of beauty and the weight placed on it by her society but her protagonist Ava also functions as a metaphor for the scars her country bears, making this deceptively modest film inherently rich in courage and ideas.
• Presented in a new anamorphic transfer, approved by the director.
• ‘Backstage’: an exclusive short film on the making of One. Two. One, taken from the director’s personal materials.
• New and improved English subtitle translation.
• Booklet featuring ‘Letter to Mania’, an essay by filmmaker, curator and author Mark Cousins.
• World premiere release on DVD.
• Optimal quality dual-layer disc.
Neda Amiri - Ava
Hassan Majooni - Rahim
Payam Dehkordi – Hassan
and Bahareh Rahnama
with Ashkan Mehri, Ramona Shah, Farnaz Rahnama,
Maryam Boubani, Roya Javidnia
Edited, Produced and Directed by Mania Akbari
Screenplay - Mania Akbari, Majid Eslami
Cinematography - Shahryar Asadi
Sound and Mix - Alireza Alavian
2012 Edinburgh International Film Festival / Official Selection
"Mania Akbari has emerged as one of Iran's most distinctive filmmakers. Her work is fresh, audacious and relevant"
Geoff Andrew, BFI
"This disarmingly, deceptively simple film,which takes the form of a series of dialogues, brilliantly played by a sizable cast and directed with a magnificent sense of rhythm, light and movement" Chris Fujiwara
"Tautly directed and deftly rhythmical, this enthralling film is a showcase for an outstanding ensemble cast"
Edinburgh International Film Festival
"A hypnotising mood piece... containing the same sort of potency as found in a film like Bergman's Winter Light...
Aided by terrific performances, One. Two. One is a palpably painful portrait of healing and sadness" Sound on Sight