Kiurmars Pourahmad, a well-liked Iranian filmmaker, committed suicide there on April 5, 2023. The CDC provides free services available if somebody is having suicidal thoughts. Despite the fact that his family has not disclosed his motivations, the unfolding Iranian revolution has left many people feeling pessimistic about the future. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps assassinated a Kurdish lady named Jîna Amini on September 16, 2022. She was also known by her forced Iranian name, Mahsa Amini, and was wearing her required hijab wrongly. Iranians have taken to the streets to demonstrate against the IRGC and the Islamic Republic’s leader, who have terrorised the country’s citizens for more than 40 years, since the news of her murder spread.
Many celebrities from the entertainment industry and musicians, including Taraneh Alidoosti and Googoosh, have spoken out against the regime as role models for Iranians. Nonetheless, some find it difficult to continue in the thick of the revolution. Several actors and directors are inspired by real-life events in their work. Pourahmad’s career as a former film reviewer demonstrates his concern for people. He is well known for the television series The Stories of Majid, which follows the life of a little boy living with his grandmother in one of Iran’s most picturesque cities, Isfahan. Despite the fact that this series debuted approximately two decades before Pourahmad’s first picture. The Case Is Open, his most recent film, debuted in 2023. Following are the director’s top 13 motion pictures.
Bread and Poetry
Pourahmad directed a feature film based on his TV series The Stories of Majid called Bread and Poetry after the popularity of the show. Majid aspires to be a poet, but these endeavours may be challenging, particularly for young boys. A few passages of Les Misérables by Victor Hugo capture his attention. Majid encounters a number of challenges while attempting to buy the complete book. Majid’s journey as a teenager, which began in the TV series some years previously, has a nice conclusion in the movie.
For the Sake of Haniyeh
A captain and his crew embark on a normal assignment at sea. Despite the fact that the captain is the only one to survive an accident. In their grief, the families of his deceased crew members start abusing him and his family because they believe he caused the tragedy. Haniyeh, his daughter, gets injured in one of the fights and suffers paralysis. In the heartwarming story For the Sake of Haniyeh, a father goes to great measures to defend and save his daughter.
Ice Flower
In the history of humanity, being married for love is a relatively recent idea. Many nations and civilizations still practise arranged marriages despite the Western ideal of interracial marriage. A young woman flees her oppressive family and an arranged marriage in Ice Flower, an adaptation of the classic Persian film King of Hearts. This play explores the difficulties of escaping abuse, enduring natural disasters, and discovering love despite everything. The process of leaving an abuser is described in detail, along with resources, in Psychology Today.
Night Bus
The Middle East’s geopolitical issues were stirred up by the US decades ago and are still being disturbed now. The United States started a war with Iraq and Afghanistan, both of which border Iran, after the events of September 11, 2001. Yet, in addition to the US’s struggle for oil, hostilities were also breaking out amongst the surrounding nations. The Iranian soldiers caught up in this conflict are portrayed in Night Bus as they make an effort to restore control by imprisoning Iraqi soldiers.
Shame
Shame was the first movie Pourahmad produced after The Stories of Majid was finished. In his debut movie, Majid (Mehdi Bagher Beigi) is an aspiring artist who is still struggling to find his footing. In order to reshoot some parts in Majid’s 8mm film, sensitive negatives are needed. He works for a poor wage to help pay for the reshoot.
Tatooreh
Pourahmad’s Tatooreh, credited as his first full-length movie, kept viewers on the edge of their seats with its murder drama. A intoxicated American is saved from the sea by Gorgo (Davoud Rashidi), who afterwards takes care of him. But after attempting to attack Gorgo’s wife, the American is forced to flee (Parvaneh Massoumi). Gorgo’s problems are just getting started, though. He accepts a position as an engineer for a company that builds roads after realising he is insolvent; this leads to murder and baseless charges.
The Case Is Open
Pourahmad directs The Case Is Open, a riveting political drama, which is his last movie. Dictatorship-ruled nations may only endure under dire conditions. Every citizen who causes trouble can be charged with any offence, put through a kangaroo court, and sentenced to death or prison. The Islamic Republic’s kangaroo court system is the subject of Pourahmad’s concluding film.
The Double Lottie
The Double Lottie, a 1990 movie directed by Pourahmad, was based on the book Lottie and Lisa by Erich Kästner. The common story of twins who were split up at birth, with one staying with their mother and the other with their father, may be recognisable to fans of The Parent Trap. Although Lindsay Lohan-starring Disney version arrived first, Pourahmad’s adaptation came first. In The Double Lottie, Nargess encounters a student who could as well be her twin. As their parents reject their claims that they met, the two come up with a plan to trade places.
The Harbour
In the 1980s and 1990s, erotic thriller films were extremely popular in America. Persian filmmakers may not have produced sensual thrillers at the same time, but Pourahmad’s 1988 film The Harbour cemented his place in the thriller canon. The movie centres on two teenage boys who flee their home to avoid their father. Despite how secure they may feel, their father is pursuing them.
The Longest Night
Yalda is an old Iranian celebration that is observed on the final evening of fall, according to Little Persian. The festival is recognised as the longest night, even though Yalda is the Arabic word for rebirth. The Longest Night, also known as Shabe Yalda in Farsi, is a movie by Pourahmad that shows a divided family. Despite his efforts to find work to support his wife and kid, Hamed is unemployed. After discovering that his family has abandoned him, he chooses to take some time to think back on his past.
The Silent Hunt
Based on Ronald Dahl’s humorous book of the same name, Pourahmad’s The Quiet Hunt vividly depicts the rivalry between locals and newcomers in a tiny community. In a new town where the local landowner, who owns much of the town, is generally despised, a gamekeeper and his son move. But, the landlord is not the only person in this town who is despised. Due to a misunderstanding, a teacher dislikes the gamekeeper, but their tenet dislikes her spouse. The locals get into a violent brawl over who hates who and for what.
Top of the Tower
Outside of Juliet’s balcony, Romeo called for her. For Diane in the Say Anything movie starring Cameron Crowe, Lloyd held a boombox above his head. Teenage guys’ grand romantic acts in literature have served as the inspiration for several scenarios. In his romantic comedy Top of the Tower, Pourahmad is one of several who frequently makes great gestures. Omid makes the most romantic gesture to show Shima that he loves her, despite the mocking sounds of his declarations to the contrary. He ascends a tower and declares that he would stay there until Shima’s family consents to give their marriage their blessing.
Where Are My Shoes?
Where Are My Shoes?, another story about a split-up family, was influenced by Lisa Genova’s novel Still Alice. The early stages of Alzheimer’s disease and reestablishing relationships with loved ones are both subjects of Pourahmad’s film adaption. Years ago, Habib (Reza Kianian) lost contact with his family; nevertheless, when his daughter travels back to Iran to reestablish contact, his life spirals out of control. As the owner of a factory, Habib is responsible for keeping everything in order, but as his Alzheimer’s disease worsens, he increasingly needs the help of his daughter.
