Iranian cinema: highlights from past week

In a week brimming with new releases and updates, the Iranian cinema scene is filled with anticipation and excitement.

Here's a look at the latest developments:

1. Sorayya Qasemi to return to big screen with ‘Solitary Confinement’

‘Solitary Confinement’, directed by Mohammad Hessam Haddadian and featuring actors such as Sorayya Qasemi, will soon hit big screens across Iran.

In recent years, Qasemi has been mostly seen in TV series, making her return to cinema a highly anticipated event.

‘Solitary Confinement’ marks Haddadian's first feature film and addresses a significant social issue within a family.

The film has previously been screened at the Lift-off London and Tokyo Lift-off festivals.

The movie's synopsis reads, "Vahid decides to run away and leave the country illegally to avoid paying the dowry and to work at a betting site. He faces numerous problems along the way.”

The film stars Mehdi Koushki, Sivash Cheraghipour, Vahid Nikrad, Peyman Moqaddami, Mehrdad Ziyaee, Yalda Abbasi, Zahra Namvar, and also features Mersana Haddadian and Ilana Haddadian.

2. ‘Mr. Postman’ to hit Iran's 'Art and Experience' Cinematic Group

Director Reza Alahmadi has announced that his film ‘Mr. Postman’ is set to be screened by the 'Art and Experience' cinematic group.

He mentioned that the film will be released after the completion of the music composition stage.

“The film was originally supposed to be made into a telefilm in 2022-2023,” Alahmadi told IRNA. “However, it entered pre-production in March of that year, and filming began in Nazarabad at the beginning of 2023-2024. Nazarabad is a historical Iranian city with an 8,000-year history."

‘Mr. Postman’ tells the story of a postman who gets caught up on his way to deliver a package to a village when his child is born. The child becomes paralyzed due to seizure.

Ten years pass, and he faces a series of challenges until he delivers a postal package to a shrine and is forced to sleep there at night. Eventually, a benefactor is found who agrees to pay for his child's surgery.

The film features mostly non-professional and television actors, including Majid Shahriari, Saeed Rezaee in the lead role, Bita Kheradmand, Heshmat Armideh, and Farhanaz Manafi.

3. Saeed Mohseni's movie to resume filming with new actor

Saeed Mohseni announced in a recent interview with IRNA that his movie ‘The Fury of the Sleepers’ will continue production with a new actor replacing the late Shahram Abdoli, who passed away in February 2023 during filming.

Mohseni emphasized that a final decision on the replacement has not yet been made.

He added that the production of ‘The Fury of the Sleepers’ initially began in 2022 but was temporarily halted due to various issues.

Mohseni assured that the movie will resume production after the completion of his current project.

‘The Fury of the Sleepers’ tells the story of a family who had an accident with a child on a forest road many years ago, and the lingering consequences of that accident continue to affect them.

The film features an ensemble cast including Amir-Mohammad Zand, Majid Shahriari, Nima Ebrahimi, Aysan Vali, Azim Khalili and Neda Ghorbanian.

4. Mehran Modiri returns to cinema with ‘6 AM’

Actor/director Mehran Modiri returns to the big screen with his latest directorial work, ‘6 AM’.

 The film has recently obtained a screening license and is set to premiere in Iranian cinemas on Wednesday, July 24.

‘6 AM’ is a social drama also written by Modiri, produced by Ali Owji, and filmed by Masoud Salami.

The film was previously titled ‘Dead End’.    

The cast includes Samira Hassanpour, Mehrdad Seddiqian, Mehran Modiri, Mona Farjad, Tinou Salehi and Saeed Zaree.

This marks Modiri's return to directing after a seven-year hiatus, with his last film, ‘5 PM’, released in 2016.