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CRITICAL ZONE

MANTAGHEYE BOHRANI

By Ali AHMADZADEH

NEW HORIZONS INT'L FILM FESTIVAL / NEW HORIZONS ASSOCIATION - as DISTR Theatrical, TV, DVD-video, VOD, POLAND / FEST

Drama - Completed 2023


Festivals
& Awards

Locarno Film Festival 2023
Concorso Internazionale
Busan IFF 2023
A Window on Asian Cinema
World Cinema Amsterdam 2023
Competition
Batumi International Art-House FF 2023
International Feature Films Competition - Best Film
Haifa IFF 2023
Carmel International Competition - Best Film Award
Gent IFF 2023
Official Competition
Bergen IFF 2023
International Fiction
Sao Paulo IFF 2023
International Perspective
See all
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    • Year of production
    • 2023
    • Genres
    • Drama, Social issues
    • Countries
    • IRAN, GERMANY
    • Languages
    • FARSI
    • Duration
    • 99 mn
    • Director(s)
    • Ali AHMADZADEH
    • Writer(s)
    • Ali AHMADZADEH
    • Producer(s)
    • Ali AHMADZADEH, Sina ATAEIAN DENA (counterintuitive film)
    • Synopsis
    • Awarded the Golden Leopard at the Locarno Film Festival, Ali Ahmadzadeh's film Atomic Heart immerses us in the nocturnal underbelly of Tehran during a narcotic, perilous journey. His independent film Critical Zone unfolds over the course of a single night, tracking a dealer as he caters to the young middle class. Each delivery exposes the layers of absurdity and hypocrisy permeating modern Iran. The authoritarian tone of the GPS navigation, which purports to guide the protagonist on the right path, cannot mask the reality: life here is a perpetual drift between the licit and the illicit, a desperate attempt to flee an oppressive reality. Created with a close-knit group of friends and ramping up the tension to breathlessness, Ahmadzadeh's film functions like a homemade bomb—an explosive work that shatters conventional perceptions of Iranian cinema. This new generation articulates a radical, unfiltered voice that eschews the typical cries heard at protests, instead channeling rage and despair, surrealism, and dark humor. Here, no one subtly hints at dissent; Ahmadzadeh portrays elements that would never pass censorship. Despite efforts by Iranian authorities to block its screening, the film made its way to Locarno. As a result of his daring, the director is now banned from leaving Iran.
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