Shahin
A married couple has their domestic life rocked by the arrival of a new neighbour.
“It is said a watched pot never boils, but the churning, bubbling tenson underneath peaceful marital life in Shahin is a masterwork.”
In Depth with the Director - Nasabi Tehrani
Tell us a little about yourself and your background in filmmaking
As a child, I fell in love with the world of cinema with the Terminator 2 by James Cameron, and this love was pursued more seriously by watching movies as a teenager. I made my first short fiction film at the age of 21 and then I went to university and studied cinema and I made 13 short fiction films and 5 documentaries before Shahin.
What inspired Shahin as a project?
There are always people we don't pay attention during our life, people we pass by hundreds of times and do not see them. Police officers who are like us, are made of flesh and blood and the same as all humans, have many problems in life. Yet we think they have come from Mars. The first idea that came to my mind was making a movie about the life of a police officer, and then because of my interest in psychological films and the horror genre I thought about a police patrol officer during the night shift. After that, my idea was discussed with screenwriter Mehran Ranjbar.
The relationship between husband and wife is central to the film. What fascinates you about this dynamic?
In my opinion, the most important nucleus of human societies is the relationship between husband and wife, and all the problems of a family that later spread to society start from the relationship between these two. If today we see many problem in societies all over the world, we must look for the root in the emotional relationship between the core of the family, the couple. For me, the roots have always been fascinating in finding answers to my questions.
All the performances feel very natural and understated in the film. How much direction did you give your cast while filming?
To guide the actors, especially in a film with a social atmosphere, I tried to let them act free but direct them toward a real life. To me when it comes to creating a real drama and a realistic film, the director's main task is to create a real life for his actors.
We were very pleased to have so many strong submissions from Iran for the 2020 festival. How is the filmmaking culture in Iran currently?
As you know, Iranian filmmakers seriously pursue realistic filmmaking, and in this regard, Iranian cinema has a filmmaking industry with a realistic and social atmosphere that products about 200 films a year, and this style of realistic filmmaking can be the best alternative in front of the dreamy Hollywood movies.
The Iranian filmmaker seeks pain in his own society, and he, himself has many pains, and it is possible for him to releases pain to the cinema screen.
What were the major challenges in putting this film together?
The biggest difficulty in making the Shahin movie was entering in to the personal life of a police officer, although in cinema of the world , few films have entered in to the personal life of police officers in a serious and realistic way.
What projects are coming up for you in the future?
I am writing a screenplay for my next film, that takes place in the year 2120, perhaps the atmosphere of today's world has made me interested in predicting our world in the next 100 years.
Do you have any message for our Melbourne audience?
My message to the Melbourne audience is to avoid too much doubt, because it can harm yourself and others.