The scariest part about writer/director Arsalan Amiri’s Iranian Revolution horror movie “Zalava” is an invisible, potentially demonic force housed inside a glass jar. Whether or not what’s in there is actually a demon or not remains ambiguous in the film’s economic screenplay, nor does it really matter. The real harbinger of doom here is the violent aura of persecution plaguing the small, eponymous village nestled in the mountains of Kurdistan, and the real curse is the paranoia of one’s own neighbor raining down fire on the community. set off by a shaman who claims he has a solution to the townsfolk’s fears.
The movie kicks off with a series of title cards to settle us into the time and place: “1978. Before the revolution. A century ago, a band of gypsies traveling from east to west settled in lava and became acquainted with the customs...
The movie kicks off with a series of title cards to settle us into the time and place: “1978. Before the revolution. A century ago, a band of gypsies traveling from east to west settled in lava and became acquainted with the customs...
- 10/1/2021
- by Ryan Lattanzio
- Indiewire
The inhabitants of Zalava were never meant to stay in one place. Their ancestors were nomads and now they’ve become farmers. So where did the demons come from? Were they always here, waiting for settlers? Did their relatives bring the evil with them? Or has the restlessness in their bones from staying in one place for so long simply made them stir crazy to the point of needing those spirits to provide context for their anxieties? They admit to the sergeant (Navid Pourfaraj’s Massoud) from the town down the road that demons only come once a year. That’s their excuse for why it’s not a big deal. It’s possible, then, that harvest-season stress is too much to bear. Either way, something must be done.
Their solution is tried and true. First they single out the person who is possessed. Then they enlist an exorcist to come and remove it,...
Their solution is tried and true. First they single out the person who is possessed. Then they enlist an exorcist to come and remove it,...
- 9/19/2021
- by Jared Mobarak
- The Film Stage
Set in 1978, in a Kurdish village high in the mountains, Iranian horror entry “Zalava” pits rational, scientific beliefs against superstition and groupthink, a theme that carries a lot of resonance just now. At the same time, it sports a sly sense of humor before edging into tragedy. . But perhaps its biggest asset is the performance of tall, toned and impressively mustached star Navid Pourfaraj as the sergeant of a nearby gendarmerie, whose attempts to lay down the law with the trigger-happy residents of Zalava result in unintended consequences. Nabbing the Venice Fipresci nod should raise the profile of this offbeat title.
The first half of the film uses title cards and dialogue for exposition, some details of which are never further developed. Most pertinently, we learn that Zalava was founded a century ago by a band of Gypsies traveling from east to west. Now, the inhabitants are a credulous, inbred bunch,...
The first half of the film uses title cards and dialogue for exposition, some details of which are never further developed. Most pertinently, we learn that Zalava was founded a century ago by a band of Gypsies traveling from east to west. Now, the inhabitants are a credulous, inbred bunch,...
- 9/10/2021
- by Alissa Simon
- Variety Film + TV
Exclusive: Here’s your first trailer for Iranian drama-horror Zalava, which is playing in the Venice Critics’ Week, the independent and parallel section of the Venice Film Festival.
Set in 1978, the film hones in on the inhabitants of a small village in Iran called Zalava who claim there is a demon among them. Massoud, a young police officer who investigates the claim encounters an exorcist attempting to rid the village of the demon. When he arrests the exorcist on charges of fraud, the villagers revolt and anger escalates. Massoud and his lover, a government doctor, soon find themselves trapped in a cursed house, surrounded by villagers who believe they are both possessed by the demon.
After its Venice berth, the movie will head to TIFF in the midnight Madness section. LevelK is handling international sales.
The Kurdish and Persian language film was directed by Arsalan Amiri from a script by Ida Panahandeh,...
Set in 1978, the film hones in on the inhabitants of a small village in Iran called Zalava who claim there is a demon among them. Massoud, a young police officer who investigates the claim encounters an exorcist attempting to rid the village of the demon. When he arrests the exorcist on charges of fraud, the villagers revolt and anger escalates. Massoud and his lover, a government doctor, soon find themselves trapped in a cursed house, surrounded by villagers who believe they are both possessed by the demon.
After its Venice berth, the movie will head to TIFF in the midnight Madness section. LevelK is handling international sales.
The Kurdish and Persian language film was directed by Arsalan Amiri from a script by Ida Panahandeh,...
- 8/20/2021
- by Andreas Wiseman
- Deadline Film + TV
Arsalan Amiri, who previously served as screenwriter on Titi and Nahid, makes his feature directorial debut with the film.
LevelK has boarded international sales for Iranian drama Zalava, which will screen in Toronto’s Midnight Madness and Venice Critics’ Week.
Arsalan Amiri, who previously served as screenwriter on Titi and Nahid, makes his feature directorial debut with the film. The drama is set in 1978 in a small village called Zavala, where the villagers claim there is a demon amongst them. A young sergeant arrests an exorcist for fraud, causing fear and anger to escalate in the village.
Amiri also writes...
LevelK has boarded international sales for Iranian drama Zalava, which will screen in Toronto’s Midnight Madness and Venice Critics’ Week.
Arsalan Amiri, who previously served as screenwriter on Titi and Nahid, makes his feature directorial debut with the film. The drama is set in 1978 in a small village called Zavala, where the villagers claim there is a demon amongst them. A young sergeant arrests an exorcist for fraud, causing fear and anger to escalate in the village.
Amiri also writes...
- 8/19/2021
- by Wendy Mitchell
- ScreenDaily
An angry woman rails against the system in the punchy and timely “Cold Sweat,” a fact-based drama about an Iranian national futsal team member whose husband uses his legal right to prevent her traveling abroad and playing in the most important game of her life. This intelligently written, well performed and emotionally rewarding second feature by writer-director Soheil Beiraghi (“Me”) will enlighten and entertain audiences everywhere. A hit in local cinemas when released in late September, “Cold Sweat” ought to enjoy a long festival life at the very least. French arthouse outfit Sophie Dulac Distribution will screen the film theatrically Nov. 28.
A tale with especially strong appeal in these #TimesUp times, “Cold Sweat” draws from the real-life cases of many Iranian sportswomen whose dreams were dashed when their husbands invoked patriarchal laws. Its success at the local box office comes in the wake of well-publicized protests at the men’s soccer World Cup in June,...
A tale with especially strong appeal in these #TimesUp times, “Cold Sweat” draws from the real-life cases of many Iranian sportswomen whose dreams were dashed when their husbands invoked patriarchal laws. Its success at the local box office comes in the wake of well-publicized protests at the men’s soccer World Cup in June,...
- 11/2/2018
- by Richard Kuipers
- Variety Film + TV
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