Islamabad - National Institute of Folk and Traditional Heritage, Lok Virsa, resumed its Mandwa Film Club here on Saturday with screening of Iranian family drama ‘The Painting Pool’ for audience.
Released in 2013, ‘The Painting Pool’ (Persian Howze Naghashi) is directed by Maziar Miri.
The film tells the story of a differently-abled couple and their various struggles in raising their child normally while nothing in their world is normal.
Actors Shahab Hosseini and Nigar Javaherian give tremendous performances in their lead roles.
The classic film portrays many similarities between cultures of Iran and Pakistan through universality of its subject and execution, said the organisers.
Maryam and Reza are a married couple with severe learning disabilities. When their son’s school work starts to surpass their own abilities, he grows frustrated with them, and after a heated argument, runs away from home.
Maryam and Reza are left to struggle with work, money and heartbreak in this affecting exploration of love and family that balances its more tragic moments with warmth and humour.
Charming, devastating and unique, ‘The Painting Pool’ manages to treat a subject often neglected by mainstream cinema with honesty and compassion, and won multiple awards at the Fajr Film Festival. The Mandwa film club of Lok Virsa is an initiative taken by the institute to revive the classical cinema and involve the fun lovers in healthy activities that keep alive the dying culture and traditions among the young generation, the organisers said.
The Mandwa Club screens national and international classical hits on every weekend and invites audience from all walks of life to entertain them as well as engage them in cultural programmes.