یه حبه قند | A Cube of Sugar / Ye Habe Ghand (2011)

Four sisters and their families return to the old garden house where they grew up, because the youngest, Pasandideh, is about to be married. Ye Habe Qand, released in English as A Cube of Sugar, follows that gathering over the course of one eventful day and turns an ordinary family celebration into something far less predictable.

A Wedding Day in an Old Family House

Pasandideh lives with her mother, her elderly uncle and his wife. Her marriage has been arranged with the grandson of a family friend who is studying abroad, and everyone seems content with the match except the uncle. One by one the sisters arrive with husbands and children, filling the quiet house with noise, food and old memories. On the morning of the ceremony a small, almost absurd accident involving a cube of sugar changes the mood of the whole household, and the arrival of Ghasem, the uncle's foster son and Pasandideh's earlier suitor, complicates things further.

A second story running underneath

Alongside the wedding preparations, the film follows Hormoz, the husband of one of the sisters, who has recently been released from prison. With help from Hamid, another brother-in-law, he searches the house for a treasure he believes is buried there, sneaking around while the rest of the family is busy with the ceremony.

Negar Javaherian Leads a Large Ensemble

Negar Javaherian plays Pasandideh, with Saeed Poursamimi as Uncle Ezzatollah and Reza Kianian as Jafar. Farhad Aslani plays Haj Naser, Asghar Hemmat is Hormoz and Hedayat Hashemi is Hamid. Rima Raminfar plays Azam, Parivash Nazarieh plays Masumeh, Puneh Abdolkarimzadeh plays Shamsi and Amirhossein Arman plays Ghasem. Shamsi Fazlollahi appears as the uncle's wife.

Filmed in Shahran and Meybod

Mirkarimi directed and produced the film from a screenplay by Mohammadreza Gohari. Shooting took place in Shahran in north-west Tehran and in Meybod in Yazd province, two locations that give the film its setting. The film was the first Iranian feature shot on Super 16, and its promotion drew in some famous names: Majid Majidi made the television spots, Rakhshan Banietemad cut the cinema trailer and Abbas Kiarostami designed a poster.

Busan, Fajr and an Oscar Selection

A Cube of Sugar had its world premiere at the Busan International Film Festival on 8 October 2011 and screened at the 29th Fajr Film Festival, where it received four nominations, including best supporting actress for Rima Raminfar. In 2012 it was selected as Iran's entry for the Best Foreign Language Film category of the 85th Academy Awards, although Iran later withdrew from that year's Oscars. A reviewer for Variety likened the film to a moving watercolour painting.

Questions About Ye Habe Qand

Ye Habe Qand is a gentle, crowded portrait of one family on one day, and it rewards viewers who enjoy watching many small stories unfold under the same roof.