zalava

In 1978, the inhabitants of a small village in Iran called Zalava claim there is a demon among them. Massoud, a young gendarmerie sergeant, who investigates this claim encounters an exorcist attempting to rid the village of the demon. When he arrests the exorcist on charges of fraud, the villagers fear and anger escalates. Massoud and his love interest, a government doctor, soon find themselves trapped in a cursed house, surroun- ded by villagers who believe they are both possessed by the demon.

Zalava is Iranian writer and director Arsalan Amiri’s first feature film, a surprisingly thought provoking debut that puts a new spin on genre conventions. By embedding cultu- ral folklore within modern horror devices, it’s a story of the complexities of belief as much as a traditional tale of possession. Zalava world premiered in the competition section of the Critics’ Week at Venice Film Festival and managed to claim both the prestigious Grand Prix as well as the FIPRESCI Prize for best film.

Original title: Zalava
Director: Arsalan Amiri
Cast: Navid Pourfaraj, Pouria Rahimi Sam, Hoda Zeinolabedin
Country: Iran
Language: Kurdish, Persian
Running time: 93 min
Year: 2021
Swedish premiere: 2022