Life May Be

Identity and physicality are among the subjects explored in this unusual film by Mania Akbari and Mark Cousins, two filmmakers who share a lively intellect, refreshing spontaneity, and a love of cinema. The two directors communicate via "filmed letters," a complex audiovisual testimony of extraordinary intensity. "The film is an old-fashioned letter piece – like Les liaisons dangereuses or Pamela by Samuel Richardson, radically updated to the digital age and with modern themes – Iran, exiles, nudity, etc," says Cousins. Mania Akbari adds: "It's a 'happening film' resulting from an encounter between two individual approaches to form, story, rhythm, sound and movement." Life May Be offers an experience of pure enjoyment when watching an inspirational encounter of intellect with intuition that is enriched by the straightforward honesty involved in the sharing of deeply intimate experiences and ideas. The film also makes room – between the lines and between the shots – for the excitement of waiting for an answer. (Karlovy Vary International Film Festival)