Ballad of a White Cow(HKAFF 2021)

In the aftermath of her husband’s state-mandated execution, Mina (co-director and co-writer Maryam Moghaddam) struggles to raise her deaf young daughter while coping with her loss. But her life is further upended when, one year later, the court admits it mistakenly sentenced her husband to death. Fortunately, Mina finds a measure of solace from Reza, who claims to have known her dead husband — and yet there may be more to his role than he admits. Along with co-director and co-writer Behtash Sanaeeha, Moghaddam crafts a taut and engrossing drama, using simple and naturalistic storytelling to portray Mina’s tragic ordeal and her deepening conflict with an indifferent theocratic society.