Alireza Khatami
Alireza KHATAMI (1980, Iran) worked in the film and advertising industry in Iran and Malaysia before leaving for an MA in Fine Arts in the USA. His work addresses questions of memory, language and trauma, crossing various disciplinary boundaries. Oblivion Verses (2017) is his feature debut. For this film, he received financial support for script development from the Hubert Bals Fund in 2011. This film won the Orizzonti Award for Best Screenplay, the FIPRESCI Award for Best Debut Film and the Interfilm Award for Promoting Interreligious Dialogue in Venice. Together with Ali Asgari, he created Terrestrial Verses (2023), selected for the Un Certain Regard section at Cannes 2023 and IFFR 2024.
Filmography
Without Condemnation (2007, short doc), An Orange Butterfly (2008, short), Focal Point (co-dir. 2009, short), Elephant in the Street (2011, short), When the Curtain Falls (2011, short), Taipei Factory (2013), Rain Dog (2013, short), Mr. Chang’s New Address (co-dir. 2014, short), Los Versos del Olvido/Oblivion Verses (2017), Ayeh haye zamini/Terrestrial Verses (co-dir. 2023)
Alireza Khatami at IFFR
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The Things You Kill
A simmering, long-fuse crime drama reflecting on the far-reaching legacies of familial violence.
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Terrestrial Verses
Iranian citizens wrestle with Kafkaesque authorities in a minimalist, deliciously dark satire.
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When the Curtain Falls
An artist paints a poem on a glass canvas. His model disappears from view thanks to the beautiful calligraphy of an old poem. The glass becomes a v
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Focal Point
Old photographer gets himself in trouble with his magic camera. His photographs reveal the true partner, but can this magic be influenced?Screened
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Los versos del olvido
Cemetery caretaker discovers the body of a young female protester at the morgue. He does everything he can to give her a proper funeral. The Irania