Terrestrial Verses (2024)
Director: Ali Asgari, Alireza Khatami Run Time: 77 min. Rating: NR Release Year: 2023
Starring: Farzin Mohades, Gohar Kheyrandish, Hossein Soleymani, Majid Salehi, Sadaf Asgari
Country: Iran
Language: Persian with English subtitles
About the film:
Official Selection, Cannes Film Festival 2023
Terrestrial Verses (2024) follows everyday people from all walks of life as they navigate the cultural, religious, and institutional constraints imposed on them by various social authorities, from school teachers to bureaucrats. These stirring vignettes, humorous and affecting, capture the spirit and determination of people amidst adversity, offering a nuanced portrait of a complex society.
“A fine distillation of blistering deadpan humor and righteous anger”
—Sheri Linden, Hollywood Reporter
About the filmmaker:
Ali Asgari is a prominent Iranian cinema figure with more than 200 awards to his name. Two of his short films, More Than Two Hours (2013) and The Silence (2016), were nominated for the Palme d’Or at Cannes Film Festival. The Baby (2014) was featured in the short film competition at the Venice Film Festival. Asgari’s films focus on the precarious lives of individuals living on the margins of society in his native country, Iran. His debut film, Disappearance (2017) was developed at the Cinéfondation Residency of the Cannes Film Festival and had its World Premiere at the Venice Film Festival. He premiered his second feature film, Until Tomorrow (2022), at the Berlin Film Festival.
Alireza Khatami is an award-winning Iranian-American filmmaker based in Canada. Born into the indigenous Khamse tribe in Iran, he is influenced by his heritage’s rich storytelling traditions. His films poignantly investigate the interconnection of memory, trauma, and power dynamics, often through a philosophical lens and with a dark sense of humor. He has worked with esteemed filmmakers such as Asghar Farhadi. His debut feature, Oblivion Verses (2017), developed at the Cinéfondation Residency of the Cannes Film Fesitval, premiered at the Venice Film Festival where it won three awards, including the Orizzonti Award for Best Screenplay and the FIPRESCI Prize. Khatami also co-wrote Until Tomorrow (2022), which premiered at the Berlin Film Festival. He is currently working on an auto-fictional psychological thriller in Turkey.
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