'Verapam' Was Born Out of the 40-Day War; Filmed on a Night on Standby!

Mohammadreza Kheradmandan, producer of the short film 'Verapam,' said the idea for the film took shape during the 40-day war and that, with the support of Soureh Center, the groundwork for its production was laid.

Mohammadreza Khormedandan, the producer of the short film "Verapam" in a conversation with Mehr reporter about the formation of the idea of ​​this film, said: "The idea of ​​"Verapam" came to my mind during the 40-day war. Based on this idea, I had written a preliminary study, and then this project was put on the path of cooperation with Mrs. Chitsaz.

He explained the reason for working with Nazanin Chitsaz, the director of the film: Before, I had seen Ms. Chitsaz's short and minimalist films and I felt that they are capable of brevity. My favorite cinema is the movies that are literally short and avoid any exaggeration. I thought he could handle making such a film. After that, I proposed investment and support for the project with the Surah Center, which was agreed upon and the film reached the production stage.

Wise men also said about the background of the story: the idea of the film was formed based on what we heard during the war. Especially the incident I had heard about a police station or a military post, a contradictory and contradictory situation that was one of the characteristics of this incident. This matter played a role in the formation of our decision to make the film.

The difficulties of filming in the headquarters of the police force

Referring to the conditions of film production during the war, Khrodmenda said: Filming had many difficulties. The location we chose was a real place and a police headquarters, and permission to film there was not easily issued. For this reason, we faced difficulties to get approval and enter this place.

He explained about what happened on the night of filming: On the same night we were filming at the police headquarters, a standby order was issued and the military centers were notified to evacuate the place because there was a possibility of an attack. The authorities came to the place and asked us to leave. I tried to avoid stopping filming as much as possible and ended up staying at the location at my own risk to finish the job; It was not clear what would happen after that.

Referring to the next day's developments, the wise men said: The next night, clashes started in the south. After that, entering these centers was completely prohibited. If we hadn't shot that night, the film would have almost never been made.

The supporting role of cultural institutions in the production of short films

Regarding the role of the Javan Sore Film Center in the production of "Varapam", Khordmandan clarified: I think one of the duties of cultural and art centers is to support works that deal with the issue of war. There are some topics that it is difficult to get the support of the private sector to produce works related to them. In this project, a very good cooperation was done with us and Javan Sore Film Center, and friends provided all the help they could to complete the film.

The director of "Natur Dasht" said about the obstacles of the short film being seen and the ways to expand its audience: The short film needs culture to be seen and I think this process is taking shape in our country. I welcome to hear that there are going to be boxes for showing short films in cinemas before the screening of feature films. Different opportunities should be used to display these works. Television and platforms also have a good capacity to show short films.

Khrodmandan also said about the most important obstacle to the viewing of these works: If I want to summarize, one of the most important obstacles to the viewing of a film is the weakness of the work itself. If a film is of good quality, sooner or later it will reach its audience, it will be seen and the audience will find itself.

Khrodmenda noted about the capacity of this film to communicate with audiences outside of Iran: I predict that "Verapam" will be a successful film in the international space. The audience outside the borders of Iran is curious to know what happened to the people and what happened inside the country during the war. I would like the audience to see these events not only from the perspective of the news media, but also from the perspective of Iranian artists. In my opinion, the international audience is interested in knowing what the war was like in close dimensions and in the details of people's lives. Works like this can answer this need.

The short film "Verapam" directed by Nazanin Chitsaz is present in the national competition section of the 43rd Tehran International Short Film Festival. This movie tells the story of a teenager who is accused of stealing a bicycle.