This short documentary film depicts the story of a retired couple caught up in the world of people smuggling, directed by Abolfazl Talooni and produced by Anna Snowball [Snow Films]. It premiered at Visions du Réel, screened at 20+ festivals, and qualified for the Oscars after winning the Golden Frog at Camerimage.
“This is a heartbreaking, haunting film, made with passion. It tells a unique story but feels universal.”
— Kim Longinotto
festivals & awards
Visions du Réel 2020 - Switzerland - World Premiere
CAMERIMAGE 2020 - Poland Golden Frog Winner
Big Sky Documentary Film Festival 2021 - US
Film Fest Gent 2020 - Belgium Special Mention for Best International Short Film
International Migration & Environmental Film Festival 2021 - Canada - Best Short Film
Go Short International Short Film Festival Nijmegen 2021 - The Netherlands
MDOC - Melgaço International Documentary Film Festival 2021 - Portugal
Festival International du Film de Montagne d'Autrans 2020 - France
Internationale Kurzfilmtage Winterthur 2020 - Switzerland
Dublin Independent Film Festival 2020 - Ireland
Silhouette Film Festival 2021 - France
DMZ Docs 2020 - South Korea
GZDOC 2020 - China
soundtracks
stills
“Abolfazl Talooni sounds out the ambiguity of a people forced to participate in this traffic and dispossessed of their lands, where the beauty of the landscapes sketches out geopolitics of despair.”
Four weeks of filming took place in the area known as Avajiq, located in West Azerbaijan Province of Iran and near the borders with Turkey.
“This understated documentary focuses on an Azeri couple’s home village, whose only means of survival is by risking everything to smuggle Afghan refugees across the Turkish border.”
stills from behind the scenes
Carte Blanche video for VdR2020
In place of a Q&A, @visionsdureel asked directors to make a 'Carte Blanche' video to accompany their films for the online edition of the festival. Here is what I came up with to introduce the film to the online audience at Visions du Réel 2020, International Medium Length & Short Film Competition. The film was available from 17th to 25th April 2020 for viewers but it was sold out on the first day.
“The Golden Frog Award goes to ‘A Horse Has More Blood Than A Human’. The camera person in this film didn’t just make beautiful images, he really looked. This film is shot with great delicacy and tact. We sensed real love and respect for the people he was filming. The camera foregrounded the protagonist in the film, not the filmmaking. So we were able to enjoy the landscape without ever feeling detached from the people. And so the film never felt intrusive or forced. This is a heartbreaking, haunting film, made with passion. It tells a unique story but feels universal. So we give the Golden Frog to the DOP Mehdi Azadi.”
CREDITS
director Abolfazl Talooni producer Anna Snowball Cinematographer Mehdi Azadi music composer Filip Sijanec editors Pawel Stec, Abolfazl Talooni sound designer Rob Szeliga production sound mixer Ahmad Afshar line producer Hesam Eslami production manager Mohsen Moradi colorist Tom Alexander musician Parham Bahadoran music recording engineer Simon Small coloring studio Technicolor London production companies Alethoscope Media, Snow Films
