Venice-Bound Documentary ‘Past Future Continuous’ Acquired by Taskovski Films (EXCLUSIVE)

Taskovski Films has acquired international sales rights for Morteza Ahmadvand and Firouzeh Khosrovani’s documentary “Past Future Continuous,” which has its world premiere in Venice Days, a sidebar to the Venice Film Festival.

Khosrovani’s 2020 film “Radiograph of a Family” won 34 awards, including two at IDFA.

“Past Future Continuous” centers on Maryam, who fled Iran at the age of 20, wrapped in a sheepskin, hidden among a flock crossing the mountainous border between Iran and Turkey. The revolution had just triumphed, and her politically active friends had been imprisoned or executed. Her family decided to save her at any cost. Maryam left Iran — and never returned.

In Iran, with the help of her friends, Maryam installs surveillance cameras in the house where her parents still live: a flickering connection to the past, projected on a screen in her American home. When the internet in Iran is cut off, the images freeze or disappear, severing Maryam’s bond with her homeland.

The directors said: “The film explores themes of memory, exile and the invisible bonds that endure despite distance – subjects that resonate deeply with both of us.”

Irena Taskovski, CEO and head of acquisitions at Taskovski Films, said: “‘Past Future Continuous’ captures the universal pain of losing loved ones and never seeing them again. In today’s world of war, displacement, and political turmoil – including the recent conflict in Iran – this film feels especially timely and powerful.”

The film is produced by Fifi Film, Antipode Films, ZaLab Film and Rai Cinema, in collaboration with ZDF/Arte.

The film was supported by IDFA Bertha Fund, Visions Sud Est, Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, Stichting Connected Foundation, FRITT ORD, Viken Filmsenter, Art Council Norway, Norwegian Film Institute, TorinoFilmLab and Creative Europe – Media Program of the European Union.

Italian distribution is by ZaLab Film.