Official Competition

Terrestrial Verses (Ayeh haye zamini)

Ali Asgari | Alireza Khatami
Talent présent •  Talent présent •  
2023 77 min Iran
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Synopsis

 A sharp and poetic look at Iranian society.

A series of snapshots featuring ordinary Iranians as they navigate the cultural, religious, and institutional constraints imposed on them by various social authorities, from schoolteachers to bureaucrats. These stirring vignettes, humorous and affecting, capture the spirit and determination of people amidst adversity, offering a nuanced portrait of a complex society.

Blurring the boundary between documentary and fiction, these vignettes explore the small and often surprising ways in which individuals assert their personal autonomy. An eloquent, perceptive, and at times comedic look at the tensions between everyday Iranians and institutional power.

 

Accessible from 16 and over

Cast/Avec

  • Sadaf Asgari
  • Ardeshir Kazemi
  • Gohar Kheirandish

Screenplay

  • Ali Asgari
  • Alireza Khatami

Cinematographer

  • Adib Sobhani

Sound

  • Alireza Alavian

Music

  • Masoud Fayaz Zadeh

Production

  • Seven Springs Pictures
  • Taat Films
  • Cynefilms

Screenings

Tuesday 05 March 2024 18:30
Lieux : Cinémathèque @Théâtre des Capucins
Audio : Persian
Subtitles : French, Deutch
Screening : Public Screening
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Thursday 07 March 2024 18:30
Talent présent  •  
Lieux : Ciné Utopia
Audio : Persian
Subtitles : English
Screening : Public Screening
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Friday 08 March 2024 20:30
Talent présent  •  
Lieux : Cinémathèque @Théâtre des Capucins
Audio : Persian
Subtitles : English
Screening : Public Screening
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Sunday 10 March 2024 18:30
Lieux : Cinémathèque @Théâtre des Capucins
Audio : Farsi
Subtitles : French, Dutch
Screening : Public Screening
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Sunday 10 March 2024 20:30
Lieux : Cinémathèque @Théâtre des Capucins
Audio : Farsi
Subtitles : English
Screening : Public Screening
Book a ticket

Critics

“These nine stories give off a powerful cumulative effect as we see the petty bureaucracies and paper-pushing quotidian blocks to working-class life unfold and whittle these people down.”
Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire 25/05/2023

Ali Asgari

Ali Asgari
Ali Asgari

Born in Tehran in 1982, Ali Asgari studied in Rome before directing acclaimed short films including Barbie (2012), More Than Two Hours (2013) – presented at Cannes – and The Silence (2016), nominated for the Short Film Palme d’Or. In 2017, his first feature film, Disappearance, is selected for Venice’s Orizzonti Section. Until Tomorrow (2022), selected at the Berlinale, and Divine Comedy (2025) further explore sociocultural constraints in Iran.

More about the director

Filmography

  • Divine Comedy 2025
  • Higher Than Acidic Clouds 2024
  • Terrestrial Verses (co-directed with Alireza Khatami) 2023
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Alireza Khatami

Alireza Khatami
Alireza Khatami

Alireza Khatami is an Iranian-American director, writer, and producer based in Canada whose 2017 feature debut, Oblivion Verses, won three awards at the 74th Venice International Festival.

More about the director

Filmography

  • Terrestrial Verses (co-directed with Ali Asgari) 2023
  • Oblivion Verses 2017
  • Mr. Chang’s New Address (short) 2014
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