A satirical take on the mundane absurdities of life in modern-day Iran, these nine vignettes illuminate the lighter side of enduring under authoritarian rule. Whether choosing a name for a newborn, graduating from grade school, getting a driver’s license, applying for a job, or seeking approval for a film script, if you live in Iran, you best come fluent in Orwellian discourse. Progressing along a rough timeline from birth to death, each story is shot in a static camera angle as a single petitioner negotiates with an authority figure hovering just outside of frame, who is practiced in the language of doublespeak.
Ali Asgari (born 25 July, 1982; Tehran) is an Iranian director, screenwriter and producer. He studied film in Italy and is an alumnus of the 2013 Berlinale Talent Campus. His short films have screened at over 600 film festivals around the world including Sundance, London and Melbourne, and won more than 150 international awards. His feature film Disappearance was developed at the Cinéfondation La Résidence of the Cannes International Film Festival. He is a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.