Montreal World Film Festival

Nothing ignites interest like a world premiere, and this year's Montreal World Film Festival is boasting several. Among its most highly anticipated red carpet events is the presentation of THE NEIGHBOR, a film written and directed by Naghmeh Shirkhan. The film will be screened in the First Films World Competition section.

Starring Azita Sahebjam, Tara Nazemi, Parisa Wahedi, Kamyar Mahinsa, Matt Dean, Ramin Sanadizadeth and Parvin Sahebjam this Canadian/USA co-production set in Vancouver has been produced by Amir Naderi (Vegas Based on a True Story) and boasts original music by famed Iranian composer Mohsen Namjoo.

The film tells the tale of Shirin, an Iranian expat living in a foreign land, estranged from her mother, and involved in a long-distance relationship that keeps hitting a dead end. She supports herself as a folk dancer and instructor, and it is her passion for tango as well as her fond memories of her grandmother in Iran that keeps her going. When she meets her next door neighbor Leila and her young daughter, the woman's life is transformed, as she struggles to find a balance between the traditions of her old world and the challenges of the new one she now inhabits.

Screenwriter and director Naghmeh Shirkhan, actresses Azita Sahebjam, Tara Nazemi, Parisa Wahedi and music composer Mohsen Namjoo will attend the Festival. For more information on the film and to view a trailer, visit the film's website: www.theneighbor-film.com.

For more information on the Montreal World Film Festival, which begins its 10-day marathon on Thursday, August 26, visit: www.ffm-montreal.org

Sandy Mandelberger, Festival Dailies Editor