Inside Amir

This wistful, warm-hearted winner of the prestigious GdA Director’s Award at Venice follows a young man making the bittersweet choice to leave his home city of Tehran.

Whizzing through Tehran on his bicycle, Amir is preoccupied by a decision he’s been avoiding. His plan is to emigrate to Italy to join his girlfriend, Tara, who has already moved there to study; but he remains torn between staying in the city he’s known all his life and leaving it all behind for a new adventure. As he awaits visa approval, Amir visits his uncle, plays poker with his buddies and replays memories from his relationship with Tara. Meanwhile, his life-changing decision looms, and the distance between him and Tara weighs heavier on his heart.

Writer/director Amir Azizi won two awards at the Venice International Film Festival – including the top prize in the festival’s Giornate degli Autori section – for this humanistic portrayal of a young man at a crossroads. Spotlighting the beauty in the everyday, Inside Amir poignantly captures a side of Tehran that we rarely see depicted, as well as a feeling that will resonate with anyone who’s ever moved far from home.

Content: Melbourne International Film Festival