Martin Scorsese’s World Cinema Project №4. Chess of the Wind / Shatranj-e baad (1976) + The Child of Another / Muna Moto (1975)

Chess of the Wind / Shatranj-e baad (1976) https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0318069/
This rediscovered jewel of Iranian cinema has reemerged as one of the most astonishing works of the country’s prerevolutionary New Wave. A hypnotically stylized murder mystery awash in period atmosphere, Chess of the Wind unfolds inside a candlelit mansion, where a web of greed, violence, and betrayal ensnares potential heirs as they vie for control of their matriarch’s estate. Melding the influences of European modernism, gothic horror, and classical Persian art, Mohammad Reza Aslani crafts an exquisitely restrained mood piece that erupts into a subversive final act in which class conventions, gender roles, and time itself are upended with shocking ferocity.

The Child of Another / Muna Moto (1975) https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0073417/
Dikongué-Pipa forged a new African cinematic language in Muna moto, a delicate, emotionally resonant love story. In a Cameroon village, the rigid customs governing courtship and marriage mean that a betrothed couple, though deeply in love, can be torn apart by the lack of a dowry and another man’s claiming the young woman—a rupture that sets the stage for a clash between a patriarchal society and a modern generation. Luminous black-and-white cinematography and stylistic flourishes yield images of haunting power in this potent depiction, told via flashback, of the challenges of postcolonialism and the devastating consequences of a community’s refusal to deviate from tradition.

Extras:
- New 4K digital restorations overseen by The Film Foundation’s World Cinema Project in collaboration with the Cineteca di Bologna, with uncompressed monaural soundtracks on the Blu-rays
- New introductions by World Cinema Project founder Martin Scorsese
- New program by filmmaker Mohamed Challouf featuring interviews with Muna moto director Dikongué-Pipa and film historian Férid Boughedir
- The Majnoun and the Wind (2022), a documentary by Gita Aslani Shahrestani featuring Chess of the Wind director Mohammad Reza Aslani and others




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