From Sadaf Foroughi’s AVA to Ali Soozandeh’s TEHRAN TABOO and Fereidoun Najafi’s debut feature THE SKIER, the 38th Cambridge Film Festival has seen a wealth of exquisite  Iranian cinema bought to the screen.

THE SKIER tells the story of Jolie, a determined young boy and his personal mission to save a mountain goat from being beheaded at a sacrificial ceremony. Despite this being a first feature, Najafi finely executes the challenging task of directing both children and animals, eliciting heartfelt and raw performances from all involved. He manages to put an ethnic twist on classic road movie tropes, colourfully documenting a fading tribe, along with its vanishing cultural customs and local traditions.

All in all, Najafi provides audiences with an important and culturally unique film, set amongst the rarely-seen before and beautiful snow-covered landscapes of Iran.