10+, 109 CINEMAS, 155 seats, F - 79 Minutes, Iran / USA, Japanese Subtitle, Live Action Film, Short Film

Rizoo

33 views

Country: Iran, Islamic Republic of
Director: Azadeh Navai
Runtime: 15:48
Section: Films for Children
Film Completion Date: February 10, 2023
Asian Premiere

To Rizoo, 8—who’s recently moved back to Tehran from California—the world is a magical place. But when she must take a class portrait, her world suddenly becomes very complicated. Does she wear the traditional head-scarf, which all girls over the age of 9 must wear—or not? Seemingly everyone has an opinion. We witness Rizoo navigate the challenges of growing up a California girl in modern Iran. She may be small in size, but her spirit is big enough to change the world.

Rizoo Poster - KINEKO International film festival 2024

Director Biography – Azadeh Navai

Azadeh Navai is an Iranian independent filmmaker and editor. As a descendant of Bakhtiari nomads on one side of her family and the Qajar dynasty on the other, Azadeh finds inspiration in her Persian roots. Her films are explorations of the people, culture and history of her home country, and have screened internationally–including New York Film Festival, International Film Festival Rotterdam, Edinburgh International Film Festival, SLAMDANCE, St. Kilda Film Festival, Atlanta film Festival and FILMADRID. Azadeh holds a BFA in Graphic Design from University of Tehran, an MFA in Film & Video from California Institute of the Arts and is a grant recipient from the arthouse streaming platform, Fandor.

Film Director’s Statement about the Film

I write, direct and edit. In recent years, especially as Iran goes through another tumultuous era, my interest has shifted towards telling universal stories about Iranians. In particular, I’ve been interested in the relationship between Iran and America. Even though I grew up in Tehran, most of my family have been living in the US for decades. In a way, I know this relationship very well. My new film, Rizoo, tells the story of a little girl who moves back to Tehran from California and doesn’t know how to blend in with all the rules about wearing the scarf and the politics of being a young woman in that society. Sadly, the film is more relevant now than ever with the Woman, Life, Freedom movement in Iran.