21st SALENTO INTL FILM FESTIVAL
FEATURE FILMS COMPETITION
CAUSE OF DEATH UNKNOWN
Country: Iran Year: 2023 Duration: 104 min. Language: Farsi Subtitles: Italian
Seven people, a van and a mysterious body.
Before dawn, a van with seven passengers travels along a secondary road between Shahdad and Kerman. Suddenly, they discover a body inside the vehicle. Without an official confirmation of death from a doctor, emergency services refuse to send an ambulance. In the dark of night, finding a doctor seems like an impossible task. Some suggest reaching a police patrol to explain what happened. While arguing, they decide to examine the body for identification, an address or a cell phone. Instead, they find a sizable sum of money hidden under his vest. The discovery presents them with a difficult and potentially dangerous decision.
Director
Ali Zarnegar
Ali Zarnegar, Iranian poet, writer and director, was born in Tehran in 1983 and studied Theater and Film Direction at the Tehran University of the Arts. He began his career simultaneously in literature and cinema, producing seven short films between 2002 and 2015. “Becoming” won the Best Film and Best Screenplay awards at the 27th Tehran International Short Film Festival. His first feature film, “Living with the Presence of a Wall,” was stopped after seventeen days of filming due to lack of a license. In 2014, “Wednesday, May 9” earned him a nomination for Best Screenplay at the 33rd Fajr International Film Festival, and has received awards internationally. In 2016, Zarnegar won the Best Writing award at the 27th Stockholm International Film Festival for “No Date, No Signature,” accepted at over 40 festivals and winner of more than 10 international awards. In 2018, he was again nominated for the Best Writing award at the Fajr International Film Festival with “Bone Marrow.” In 2022, he wrote and directed his first feature film, an independent production that tells the story of seven people stranded in the desert, forced to make a collective decision.
Director’s Note
As a filmmaker, I am proud to present my latest work, “Cause of Death: Unknown”, a film that deeply explores the complexities of Iranian society. Unfortunately, the film was banned in Iran due to its political nature and themes, including the story of a character who attempts to cross the border illegally. Despite this obstacle, I am honored to have the opportunity to show the film at various international film festivals. “Cause of Death: Unknown” follows the journeys of seven Iranian individuals, each representing a different perspective and experience within society. Through their stories, the film explores the current state of Iran and the struggles its people face. In designing the story, I aimed to use tragedy in a unique way that would make the audience reconsider their beliefs and values. Cinema, for me, is a powerful tool for evaluating and questioning social concepts. Through the magic of storytelling, viewers can become companions with the characters and ultimately reflect on their own lives and beliefs. I hope that “Cause of Death: Unknown” can spark important conversations and encourage critical thinking among audiences at film festivals around the world.
Cast
& Credits
DIRECTOR: Ali Zarnegar .SCREENWRITER: Ali Zarnegar . PHOTOGRAPHY: Davood Malek Hosseini EDITING: Hamid Najafirad MUSIC: Easa Habibzadeh PRODUCERS: Sereina Gabathuler, Dschoint Ventschr PRODUCER: Majid BarzegarCAST: Banipal Shoomoon, Alireza Sani Far, Neda Jebraeili, Ali Mohammad Radmanesh, Zakieh Behbahani , Reza Amouzad, Soheil Bavi, Saeed Rezaeikia, Milad Moradi, Ahmad Dehghanrahimi, Mansour Ghanijahed, Mohammadreza Hosseinian, Ashkan Ashoori, Mojtaba Mirhosseini, Sahar Babaei.
Images
