Any Day Now (2020 film)

Any Day Now (also known as The Oasis of Now;[1] Finnish: Ensilumi, lit.'First snow') is a 2020 Finnish drama film written and directed by Hamy Ramezan [fi].[1] The film tells story about an Iranian immigrant's family living in Finland and the family's constant fear of obtaining a negative residence permit.[3] The film features Shahab Hosseini and Laura Birn, among others.[4]

Any Day Now
Film poster
FinnishEnsilumi
Directed byHamy Ramezan
Written byHamy Ramezan
Antti Rautava
Produced byEmilia Falcon
Jussi Rantamäki
StarringShahab Hosseini
Aran-Sina Keshvari
Shabnam Ghorbani
Kimiya Eskandari
Edited byJoona Louhivuori
Music byTuomas Nikkinen
Production
company
Aamu Film Company[1]
Distributed byNordisk Film
Release date
Running time
82 minutes
CountryFinland
LanguagesFinnish
Persian
English
Budget€1,200,000

Premise

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The Iranian Mehdipours have been living in a refugee center in Finland for a while now. As the 13-year-old Ramin is enjoying his school holidays, the family receives a negative decision on their asylum application. After filing the last possible appeal, the Mehdipours try to continue with their everyday lives and keep a positive attitude despite the looming danger of deportation. Ramin starts the new school year in which every moment will be more precious than ever.

Cast

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Production

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The film's Mehdipour family is based on the director Hamy Ramezan's own experiences 30 years ago, when his own family came to Finland to escape the war between Iran and Iraq.[5] The 2015 refugee flow to Europe and the ensuing public debate haunted Ramezan, and in those mental landscapes the young director set about preparing his first feature film. The first versions of the manuscript were full of nightmares and dark compared to what ended up in the final version.[6]

Awards and nominees

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Year Award [7] Category Nominated Result
2021 11th Beijing International Film Festival Tiantan Award for Best Film Hamy Ramezan Nominated
Tiantan Award for Best Supporting Actor Shahab Hosseini Won
Tiantan Award for Best Music Tuomas Nikkinen Won
Berlin International Film Festival Crystal Bear Hamy Ramezan Nominated
Molodist International Film Festival Scythian Deer Nominated
Jussi Awards Best Film Jussi Rantamäki

Emilia Haukka
Elokuvayhtiö Oy Aamu

Nominated
Best Direction Hamy Ramezan Nominated
Best Leading Actor Shahab Hosseini Won
Best Screenplay Hamy Ramezan Nominated
Best Cinematography Arsen Sarkisiants Nominated
Best Sound Design Svante Colérus Nominated
Kyiv International Film Festival "Molodist" Scythian Deer Hamy Ramezan Nominated

References

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  1. ^ a b c Hamy Ramezan finds the Oasis of Now
  2. ^ "Ensilumi (2020) – 33. Helsinki International Film Festival – Rakkautta & Anarkiaa" [First Snow (2020) - 33. Helsinki International Film Festival - Love & Anarchy]. hel.fi (in Finnish). 23 September 2020. Retrieved 17 October 2020.
  3. ^ "Ensilumi" (in Finnish). Suomen elokuvasäätiö. Retrieved 16 October 2020.
  4. ^ Pham, Annika (17 January 2020). "New Europe Film Sales Picks up Hamy Ramezan's 'Any Day Now' (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved 17 October 2020.
  5. ^ Parkkinen, Pia (27 October 2019). ""Yhtäkkiä olin osa valtavaa massaa, joka oli tullut tuhoamaan eurooppalaista elämää" – Suomessa 30 vuotta asunut ohjaaja Hamy Ramezan lannistui pakolaiskriisistä" (in Finnish). Yle. Retrieved 17 October 2020.
  6. ^ Sundqvist, Janne (16 October 2020). ""Matka pimeydestä valoon" – kotimaisen elokuvan suurena lupauksena pidetyn Hamy Ramezanin uusi teos Ensilumi pohjaa omiin kokemuksiin" (in Finnish). Yle. Retrieved 17 October 2020.
  7. ^ "Any Day Now Awards". IMDb. 17 September 2021. Retrieved 17 September 2021.
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