Actor: Hossein Soleymani

Terrestrial Verses

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.

The Lizard

The satirical commentary on clergymen in post-revolutionary Iran. While in prison, petty criminal Reza (Parviz Parastui) comes across a clergyman, sparking a plan for escape. Reza dons his new acquaintance's clerical robes and makes a bid for freedom. He soon learns that being a clergyman brings little respect from the public. Reza travels to the outlying villages, from where he plots to escape the country. However, his plans must be put on hold when the villagers accept him into their community and expect him to perform religious duties. Will Reza's prison break transform him into an unlikely pillar of the community?

Sperm Whale

Arjang, who was born before the revolution in Iran, has been in love with his childhood sweetheart, Roya, for the past 40 years. Roya, however, has brought him nothing but trouble. Now 50, and having experienced a revolution, a war, a divorce and both poverty and wealth, Arjang finds himself still in love with Roya.

Red Carpet

Reza is an artist who dreams of traveling to Cannes and meeting the gratest living figures of cinema. He travels to Paris to meet Steven Spielberg and Woody Allen and give his screenplay to them. In the end, Reza who has lost his money because of a fellow countryman, without meeting Spielberg, awaits in a corner of Cannes dreaming he's returning to Iran.

Bam Bala

The film "Bam Bala" is the story of siblings named Hina and Amir Ali, who seek help from a doll named Bam Bala to reconcile their parents. Bam Bala is a doll that helps all children achieve their dreams. In a part of the film, all the adults in the city are turned into statues by his hand so that the children can do whatever they want happily and regardless of their concerns.

Squad Of Girls

The story shows a different point of view of Iraq's invasion since it's narrated by self sacrificing fearless women who reach the army fortress in order to bring back weapons and ammunitions to stand against the enemy.

A Mother's Love

In this Iranian film, social worker Mina (Fateme Motamed-Aria) tells the reformatory head they should offer genuine emotional feedback to their charges, but she withdraws when the reality of such idealistic proposals becomes evident. Young Medhi (Hussein Soleimani) is troubled after the death of his mother. He views Mina as the mother he needs, but Mina is wary. Shown at the 1998 Fajr Film Festival.