Iranian short film “Pasta Alfredo” competing in Albanian festival
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TEHRAN – The Iranian short film “Pasta Alfredo” directed by Leila Noee is competing in the 13th Dea Open Air International Film Festival, which was launched on June 1 in Tirana, Albania.
A 2025 production, the 9-minute drama is present in the Student Film Program of the festival, ILNA reported.
The film shows Niloufar, a 14-year-old girl from a middle-class urban family in Iran, who is recovering from a serious illness—one that no longer confines her, yet has led her to withdraw from the outside world by choice.
Within a household marked by emotional distance—a restless mother, an irritable father—she longs to rekindle warmth and connection. On a quiet afternoon, she prepares a symbolic birthday party for her cat and cooks pasta, small gestures of care in a space that has forgotten tenderness. But as her gestures fade into silence, loneliness draws her deeper into the dark.
The cast includes Mohanna Seyyedi, Saeed Nejati, Sima Khanvakili, Barbod Farshidzadeh, and Mohammadreza Aryansadr.
Leila Noee is a filmmaker from Mashhad with a Master’s degree in Media Management and a background in cultural journalism. For years, she worked as a writer and editor in the field of arts and culture, where her passion for human-centered storytelling—especially narratives involving children and adolescents—led her toward filmmaking.
After completing specialized training at the Soureh Film Club and the Iranian Youth Cinema Society, she embraced cinema as a medium to explore her social, cultural, and emotional concerns. Her films reflect a deep interest in everyday realities, emotional nuance, and the inner lives of young people. “Pasta Alfredo” is her second short film.
The 13th edition of Dea Open Air aims not only to present films in competition but also to create an international space for communication among filmmakers, students, critics, scholars, and audiences. Throughout the festival, professional meetings, discussions, and activities fostering cultural exchange and reflection on contemporary developments in cinema will take place.
This year’s edition of the festival will wrap up on June 5.
SS/SAB
