Achilles

Dir. Farhad Delaram. France/Germany/Iran. 2023, 116 mins. DCP. In Azerbaijani and Persian with English subtitles. With Mirsaeed Molavian, Behdokht Valian, Hedieh Saghari, Roya Afshar, Neda Aghighi, Firouz Agheli. In a Tehran hospital, former filmmaker Farid (Molavian) works nights—and sleeps there most days too. Estranged from his partner and hopeless about the future, he starts to awaken after meeting Hedieh (Valian), a patient in the psychiatric ward whose supposed fits of madness he innately understands. Everything changes once he sneaks her out of the hospital for a respite of freedom. As he learns of the political events that led to her confinement, he discovers that his own convictions have been reignited and needs to hit the road to avoid the authorities. Farhad Delaram’s debut feature, which was informed by his own political imprisonment in Iran, is a seductive, shape–shifting, wholly original film. It’s also a strikingly livid, wall-toppling work that Delaram somehow managed to film on location in Iran. New York premiere 

Tickets: $15 / $11 senior and students / $9 youth (ages 3–17) / discounted for MoMI members ($7–$11). There is a $1.50 transaction fee per ticket for all online purchases. The cost of admission may be applied toward a same-day purchase of a membership. 

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About the filmmaker:

Farhad Delaram is an award-winning writer and director who was born in Iran, in 1988. He graduated from the University of Tehran with a master’s degree in cinema and has directed nine independent short films. His short Tattoo won the Crystal Bear award at the 69th Berlin International Film Festival (Berlinale) and screened in the Generation 14plus section. Tattoo has screened in over 90 film festivals across the globe. Achilles is Delaram’s first feature-length film.