ifilm's exclusive report on Iranian feature ‘Chocolate’

Watch ifilm's exclusive report on the Iranian feature film ‘Chocolate’ directed by Soheyl Movaffaq and produced by Iraj Mohammadi, starring Arzhang Amir-Fazli, Alireza Masoudi and Mohammad-Reza Shirkhanlou.

Below are highlights of the report.

ifilm: Director Soheyl Movaffaq has chosen to make a movie for children for his first project. Now that is considered a big risk for a first-time director.

Soheyl Movaffaq: I began my career with programs for children. Due to this, it might seem a bit stereotypical, but I can’t put it in another way: I wanted to pay my dues to children’s cinema.

Also, these days the cinema industry for children, I have a young child myself.

I don’t know what children are going to see in the cinema halls. Movies we had for children when we were kids don’t exist anymore. So, I and my friends came to maybe contribute to children’s cinema a bit. I hope so.

ifilm: The movie has four scriptwriters. That means they’ve put a lot of efforts in writing the screenplay.

Alireza Masoudi: Personally, I like scriptwriting much better. It’s easier for me. I don’t mean to say it’s easy. On the contrary, scriptwriting is more difficult.

You only have a blank page and a pen and nothing else. But in acting, there is a screenplay, there are characters and you have something to read. But the situation has gotten a bit harder, especially with regards to television programs.

I think there are many obstacles, especially regarding comedies. There are many filters.

In the past, we’d narrate a story. We didn’t even write the proposal. We’d say that we have a story like this and they’d tell us to go ahead and write it. For example, ‘Three Shares Each’ only had a one page proposal.

But now, there are so many obstacles that you have to forget about writing.

ifilm: Mohammad-Reza Shirkhanlou might have different reasons of his own.

Mohammad-Reza Shirkhanlou: Regarding this movie, Mr. Movaffaq called me. I came to the office and read the screenplay. We talked and then after about five sessions we signed a contract.

MG/AI/AG