No Book This Year

Synopsis

“No Book This Year” tells the story of Yalda, a former staff member of Afghanistan’s booth at the Frankfurt Book Fair. Years after the booth’s closure, Yalda takes it upon herself to independently relaunch Afghanistan’s presence at the fair. Despite numerous challenges and obstacles, her unwavering determination to showcase Afghan literature and culture shines through, illustrating the resilience of the human spirit in preserving cultural heritage.

No Book This Year, a film by Hesam Sharifi
Running Time: 00:36:42
Genre: Documentary – Short
Shooting Format: Dogma 95
Exhibition Format: Digital
Audio Format: 2channel stereo
Completed: Jun 22, 2024, Germany

German and English subtitles are available

Director’s Statement: 

With the collapse of the Afghan government and the complete takeover of the country by the Taliban, the wheels of culture and knowledge in Afghanistan came to a complete halt, plunging the nation into the darkness of medieval times. The Frankfurt Book Fair, the most important book fair in the world, annually hosts various countries to promote global culture and knowledge. In recent years, with the fall of Afghanistan, the country lost its booth at this fair. This documentary tells the story of a woman named Yalda, who has been one of the staff members of Afghanistan’s booth in recent years. Several years after the closure of her country’s booth, she decides to independently launch Afghanistan’s booth at the Frankfurt Book Fair. She prepares a call and gathers Afghan residents in Germany along with inviting Afghan writers, once again launching this booth at the most important book fair in the world. Her success leads to Afghanistan once again having a continuous presence at the book fair.

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Director Biography:

Hesam Sharifi, an Iranian visual artist, and filmmaker was born in January 1989 with an inherent passion for art. His creative journey began with painting, where he honed his skills in figurative, expressionistic, and surrealistic styles. His love for the arts led him to pursue studies in illustration, where he learned the craft of graphic and digital painting. With time, Hesam diversified his skillset and ventured into filmmaking, excelling in directing and editing. Today, Hesam Sharifi is a multi-talented professional, proficient in illustration, painting, motion graphics, and character design. He also dabbles in screenwriting, directing, and editing, complementing his primary career. His exceptional talent as a character designer and illustrator has earned him recognition from advertising magazines. Hesam Sharifi has also made a name for himself as an independent filmmaker, producer, and editor. His short films and documentaries, including “New Vocal,” “Okr,” “Twist,” “Southern Song,” “Stone, History, Human,” “The Story is Over,” “SMS,” and “Controversy,” have received critical acclaim for their artistic and thought-provoking themes. Despite his success in filmmaking, Hesam Sharifi remains an ardent painter, having mastered digital art and various traditional painting techniques such as pencil, pastel, watercolor, and oil. He has also excelled as a painting teacher since 2002. Read more about the director…

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Cast And Crew

Writer and Director
Hesam Sharifi

Producer

Parahndeh Alaei

Narrated by

Yalda Abassi

Camera

Ruhollah Torabi, Parandeh Alaei, Yalda Abbasi, Samir Raufi, Hesam Sharifi

Singer
Deljan Abassi

Graphics and Paintings
Hesam Sharifi

With the presence of
Cornelia Helle
Ursula Holpp
Talia Schekeb
Sara Abassi
Taqi Akhlaqi
Khadija Sidiqi
Nazanin Najafi

Frankfurt 2024 – Buchmesse / Book FairDistribute by

Zigguart Virtual Art Gallery

Available to Watch
 The release date will be announced at a later time
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