My Favourite Cake

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My Favourite Cake
Festival poster
Persianکیک محبوب من
Directed byMaryam Moqadam
Behtash Sanaeeha
Written by
  • Maryam Moqadam
  • Behtash Sanaeeha
Produced by
  • Etienne de Ricaud
  • Peter Krupenin
  • Gholamreza Moosavi
  • Behtash Sanaeeha
  • Christopher Zitterbart
Starring
  • Lily Farhadpour
  • Esmail Mehrabi
CinematographyMohammad Haddadi
Edited by
  • Ata Mehrad
  • Behtash Sanaeeha
  • Ricardo Saraiva
Music byHenrik Nagy
Production
companies
  • Caractères Productions
  • Watchmen Productions
  • HOBAB
  • Filmsazan Javan
Distributed byTotem Films
Release date
Running time
97 minutes
Countries
  • Iran
  • France
  • Sweden
  • Germany
LanguagePersian

My Favourite Cake (Persian: کیک محبوب من, translit. Keyk-e mahboob-e man) is a 2024 drama film co-written and directed by Maryam Moqadam and Behtash Sanaeeha. The film was among the first six films selected for the first round of the New Dawn scheme[a] after its launch in 2022.[2] The film, starring Lily Farhadpour and Esmail Mehrabi, follows the story of a woman who decides to live out her desires in a country where women's rights are heavily restricted.[3]

The international co-production between Iran, France, Sweden and Germany had its world premiere on 16 February 2024 at the 74th Berlin International Film Festival.[4]

Synopsis[edit]

After losing her husband and daughter, 70-year-old Mahin has been living a lonely life in Tehran. But one day, she decides to join her friends for the afternoon tea and finds a new spark in her heart. She meets someone who makes her feel alive again, and the evening brings unpredictable surprises and memories.

Cast[edit]

  • Lily Farhadpour as Mahin
  • Esmail Mehrabi as Faramarz

Production[edit]

The film, the third by the Iranian writing-directing duo Maryam Moqadam and Behtash Sanaeeha, is a co-production by FilmSazan Javan (Iran), Caractères Productions (France), HOBAB (Sweden) and Watchmen Productions (Germany). It was supported by the Swedish Film Institute, Sveriges Television, New Dawn, ZDF/ARTE, Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg, the World Cinema Fund, the CNC's Aide aux cinemas du monde, the Institut Français, the Île-de-France region, Eurimages and the Berlinale Co-Production Market.[5] It was also supported by the World Cinema Fund, which was launched in 2004 on the initiative of the Federal Cultural Foundation and the Berlinale, and is one of twelve films invited to this year’s Berlinale.[6]

Post-production[edit]

Esmail Mehrabi and Lily Farhadpour from My Favorite Cake with a photo of Maryam Moqadam and Behtash Sanaeeha, who were not allowed to leave the country (Berlinale 2024)

In September 2023, when Maryam Moqadam and Behtash Sanaeeha wanted to travel to Paris for the post-production of the film, their passports were confiscated and they were threatened with criminal charges.[7] This followed a raid on the home of the film’s editor by Iranian security forces, during which they seized rushes and other material related to the production. The media saw a connection in these actions to their acclaimed 2020 film Ballad of a White Cow, which encountered the wrath of Iran’s strict Islamic government. In December 2023, approximately 30 film organizations, festivals and filmmakers, as well as non-governmental organizations for freedom of expression, wrote an open letter calling on the Iranian authorities to immediately drop all charges against the duo and to lift their travel ban. Signatories included the Berlinale, the International Coalition for Filmmakers at Risk (ICFR) and PEN America.[8] In January 2024, after its nomination to compete at the 74th Berlinale, the festival again called for freedom of travel and freedom of expression for the directing duo.[9][10]

Release[edit]

My Favourite Cake had its world premiere on 16 February 2024, as part of the 74th Berlin International Film Festival, in competition.[11][12]

The Paris-based sales and production company Totem Films has acquired international sales rights to the film before its Berlinale world premiere.[13]

It was screened at Lichter Filmfest Frankfurt International, Frankfurt on 20 April 2024.[14]

Reception[edit]

On the review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes website, the film has an approval rating of 100% based on 13 reviews, with an average rating of 8.5/10.[15]

Peter Bradshaw reviewing for The Guardian rated the film with 5 stars out of 5 and touching on the topical controversy where Maryam Moghaddam and Behtash Sanaeeha, the directors of the film, were prevented from travelling to Berlin to attend their own premiere; he wrote, "As well as everything else, this wonderfully sweet and funny film will contribute to the debate about whether repressive regimes are the nursery of artistic greatness." Bradshaw praised the performance of lead pair and concluded the review terming the film as lovely and wrote, "There is something quietly magnificent in it as moments like these in life are poignantly brief – but many never have them at all.[16]

Jessica Kiang writing in Variety gave positive review and said, "What it lacks in edge, the film certainly makes up for in the quality of its performances...."[17] Leslie Felperin reviewing the film for The Hollywood Reporter dubbed it as "A delicious slice of life.," and opined, "Moghaddam and Sanaeeha and the actors turn this set piece into a whirling dervish of elderly seduction, executed with crack comic timing, precise choreography for both the camera and the characters themselves, and one of the all-time great crash cuts."[18] Serena Seghedoni reviewing at Berlinale in Loud And Clear Reviews awarded 4 stars and wrote, "My Favourite Cake is a story that absolutely needs to be told: the heartwarming, hilarious, sweet, devastating, tragic tale of a woman who one day dares to be free."[19]

RogerEbert.com's Robert Daniels compared the character of Mahid to the lead in the Georgian drama Blackbird Blackbird Blackberry, writing, "each woman is seeking a kind of autumnal relationship, defying their oppressive surroundings before it's too late."[20]

Accolades[edit]

The film was selected in Competition at the 74th Berlin International Film Festival, and thusly was nominated to compete for the festival's Golden Bear.

Award Date Category Recipient Result Ref.
Eurimages Co-production Development Award 19 February 2022 Eurimages Award My Favourite Cake Won [21]
Berlin International Film Festival 25 February 2024 Golden Bear Maryam Moqadam and Behtash Sanaeeha Nominated [22]
FIPRESCI Prize My Favourite Cake Won [23]
Prizes of the Ecumenical Jury My Favourite Cake Won

Notes[edit]

  1. ^ In 2022 nine European public funds launch New Dawn to increase diversity in film.[1]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Abbatescianni, Davide (20 May 2022). "Nine European public funds launch New Dawn to increase diversity in film". Cineuropa. Retrieved 3 February 2024.
  2. ^ "New Dawn project My Favourite Cake in competition at 74th Berlinale". New Dawn. 23 January 2024. Retrieved 3 February 2024.
  3. ^ Sanaeeha, Behtash (15 February 2022). "My Favourite Cake". Cineuropa. Retrieved 3 February 2024.
  4. ^ Abbatescianni, Davide (22 January 2024). "The Berlinale unveils its Competition and Encounters titles". Cineuropa. Retrieved 3 February 2024.
  5. ^ Pan, Sevara (31 January 2024). "Maryam Moghaddam and Behtash Sanaeeha's My Favourite Cake to premiere in the Berlinale Competition". Cineuropa. Retrieved 3 February 2024.
  6. ^ "World Cinema Fund with Twelve Films in the Berlinale Programme / WCF Day 2024 / German Federal Cultural Foundation Extends and Increases Funding". Berlinale. 29 January 2024. Retrieved 7 February 2024.
  7. ^ Goodfellow, Melanie (27 November 2023). "Iranian 'Ballad Of A White Cow' Directors Behtash Sanaeeha & Maryam Moghadam Banned From Travel As They Face Trial Over New Film". Deadline. Retrieved 5 February 2024.
  8. ^ Goodfellow, Melanie (20 December 2023). "Film Orgs Petition Iranian Authorities To Lift Charges Against Directors Maryam Moghadam & Behtash Sanaeeha". Deadline. Retrieved 5 February 2024.
  9. ^ "Berlinale Issues Call for Freedom of Movement, Freedom of Expression for Competition Directors Maryam Moghaddam & Behtash Sanaeeha". Berlinale. 1 February 2024. Retrieved 5 February 2024.
  10. ^ Goodfellow, Melanie (1 February 2024). "Berlinale Makes Appeal For Iranian 2024 Golden Bear Contenders Maryam Moghaddam & Behtash Sanaeeha As They Barred From Travel". Deadline. Retrieved 5 February 2024.
  11. ^ Ntim, Zac (22 January 2024). "Berlin Reveals 2024 Competition Lineup: Rooney Mara, Mati Diop, Isabelle Huppert, Abderrahmane Sissako Movies Among Selection". Deadline. Retrieved 3 February 2024.
  12. ^ "My Favorite Cake". Berlinale. 6 February 2024. Retrieved 6 February 2024.
  13. ^ Leo Barraclough (24 January 2024). "Berlin Competition Title 'My Favourite Cake,' by Iran's Maryam Moghaddam and Behtash Sanaeeha, Boarded by Totem Films (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved 4 February 2024.
  14. ^ "My Favourite Cake". Lichter Filmfest. 20 April 2024. Retrieved 4 May 2024.
  15. ^ "My Favourite Cake (2024, Drama/Romance)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved 19 March 2024.
  16. ^ Bradshaw, Peter (16 February 2024). "My Favourite Cake review – charming portrayal of a 70-year-old Iranian's appetite for romance". The Guardian. Retrieved 16 February 2024.
  17. ^ Jessica Kiang (16 February 2024). "'My Favourite Cake' Review: A Romantic Confection That Rises Sweetly, Until It Crumbles". Variety. Retrieved 16 February 2024.
  18. ^ Leslie Felperin (16 February 2024). "My Favourite Cake' Review: From Iran, a Delectable Later-Life Love Story". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 18 February 2024.
  19. ^ Serena Seghedoni (18 February 2024). "My Favourite Cake: Berlin Film Review". Loud And Clear Reviews. Retrieved 18 February 2024.
  20. ^ Daniels, Robert. "Berlin Film Festival 2024: Dahomey, My Favorite Cake, A Traveler's Needs | Festivals & Awards | Roger Ebert". RogerEbert.com. Retrieved 22 February 2024.
  21. ^ Economou, Vassilis (15 February 2022). "My Favourite Cake wins the Eurimages Award at the Berlinale Co-Production Market". Cineuropa. Retrieved 3 February 2024.
  22. ^ Rosser, Michael (22 January 2024). "Berlin film festival reveals 2024 competition line-up". ScreenDaily. Retrieved 3 February 2024.
  23. ^ Scott Roxborough (24 February 2024). "Berlin: Indie Juries Pick 'Sex', 'Dying' and 'Cake'". Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 24 February 2024.

External links[edit]

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