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Numb

When six-year-old Roham becomes too curious, a cleric comes to school to teach the children proper norms. Youthful innocence collides with the raw reality of adults.

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Deze voorstelling maakt deel uit van Rialto Filmclub met als gastspreker deze maand Ernst-Jan Pfauth.

Numb (Asab keshi)

According to Iranian law, boys and girls are required to be educated separately. An exception is made for kindergarten, where boys and girls share the room. Six-year-old Roham is in his last kindergarten year and is starting to become curious about intimate relationships. The headmaster hires a cleric to teach the children proper ethical and religious standards – a prelude to the way things will be in their future lives. Roham remains curious and discovers dark secrets in the lives of bully Azad and the quiet girl Rana.

After Paat (2013), this second feature by Iranian filmmaker Amir Toodehroosta tells a sensitive story in which a child's innocence clashes with the raw reality of adults. Though the story is told through the eyes of the children, it becomes clear that everything revolves around the contrast between freedom and suffocating state control.

Q&A with director via Zoom

Thu 24 Aug | 19:15 | Rialto De Pijp

The Q&A will take place through a live connection on the big screen.

Open Air

Amir TOODEHROOSTA (1982, Iran) is an independent artist and filmmaker who studied filmmaking and theatre in Iran. He has made 17 shorts, including A Beautiful Snowy Day (2009), nominated for the Muhr AsiaAfrica Award in Dubai. His first feature, Paat (2013), was nominated for the Asian Future Best Film Award in Tokyo and the Grand Prix in Warsaw. Numb (2023) world premiered at IFFR 2023.