Terrestrial Verses
Schedule
Overview
Terrestrial Verses follows everyday people from all walks of life as they navigate the cultural, religious, and institutional constraints imposed on them by various social authorities. These stirring vignettes, humorous and affecting, offer a nuanced portrait of a complex society.
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Review
Terrestrial Verses consists of nine short episodes in which ordinary people in Tehran stand up to social powers and authorities. The episodes follow the journey from birth to death, starting from parents trying to name their baby in English and the public official insisting on registration only with Islamic names. There is also a girl who escapes from being punished by the school by taking advantage of a teacher when all she did was just riding a motorcycle with a boy, a woman questioned for not wearing a hijab in a car, a woman sexually harassed at a job interview, and a film director who is frustrated by strict government censorship. The people in Iran have to live through countless powers controlling them from birth to death. The film also stands out with each nine episodes directed to create its own continuity. (CHUN Jinsu)
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Credit
- DirectorAli ASGARI, Alireza KHATAMI
- ProducerAli ASGARI, Milad KHOSRAVI
- ScreenplayAlireza KHATAMI, Ali ASGARI
- CinematographyAdib SOBHANI
- Production DesignHamed ASLANI
- MusicMasoud FAYAZ ZADEH
- EditorEhsan VASEGHI
- SoundAlireza ALAVIAN
- CastBahram ARK, Arghavan SHABANI, Servin ZABETIAN, Sadaf ASGARI
Film Source
Films Boutique⎜ruta@filmsboutique.com
Director
Ali ASGARI
Born in 1982, Ali Asgari is a well-known figure in Iranian cinema, with a focus on capturing the challenging lives of individuals on the fringes of society in his home country, Iran. His most recent film, Terrestrial Verses, made its premiere at Cannes in 2023.
Alireza KHATAMI
Born in 1980, Alireza Khatami is an award-winning Iranian-American filmmaker based in Canada. His debut feature, Oblivion Verses (2017), premiered at the Venice Film Festival, winning the Orizzonti Award for Best Screenplay and the FIPRESCI Prize.
