The Nordic & Baltic Oscar Contenders series at Scandinavia House returns this season with select in-house and virtual screenings of films chosen by the Nordic & Baltic countries to compete for this year’s Academy Awards. Screening virtually only from December 2 through December 5, see the documentary Radiograph of a Family (dir. Firouzeh Khosrovani; Norway/Iran/Switzerland, 2020), which has been submitted for Best Documentary. A virtual film Q&A will accompany the screenings; please check back here for details.

A love story with two different beliefs and a family in the turmoil of Iran’s modern history, director Firouzeh Khosravani’s Radiograph of a Family explores a personal history beginning with her mother’s marriage to her father in Tehran by photograph, when he was then studying radiology in Switzerland. For her mother, with her religious background, living in Europe was a challenge: sin was everywhere. Her father came from a liberal and secular family and was a lover of culture, fine arts, classical music; her mother never understood how he could treasure a painting depicting nude bodies. Shortly after Firouzeh’s birth, the family moved back from Switzerland back to Tehran, after which the Revolution happened and changed everything upside down. Her mother found new reason and new identity, an important space for herself: She became a religious activist, school principal and did military training. Her father sat quietly in his favorite chair at home and listened to Bach. Throughout Firouzeh’s childhood, she was forced to choose between her parents; each day, enduring imposition from one side and acceptance from the other. (82 min. In French and Farsi with English subtitles)

“Immersive and lyrical”—THR

Virtual Screenings will take place over four days (Thursday — Sunday), with all films available for viewing on a virtual cinema screening platform throughout this period. To download viewing instructions and an FAQ, please click here.

This film has been supported by the Consulate General of Sweden, New York.

ABOUT THE DIRECTOR

Born in Tehran, Firouzeh Khosrovani settled in Italy to pursue her artistic studies at the Accademia di Belle Arti di Brera. After graduating in 2002 she returned to Iran and acquired her Master’s degree in Journalism. She now lives between Tehran and Rome. Her debut film, Life Train (2004), is a documentary on the ‘play’ therapy provided for the traumatized children of the earthquake in Bam.

In 2007, she directed Rough Cut, a film about mutilated plastic mannequins in the shop windows of Tehran, which won 13 international film festival awards. Her last work, Fest of Duty, follows two adolescent girls as they transition into adulthood, eight years after their official Fest of Duty. The film won the OXFAM award at IDFA in 2014.