World premiere

The Wastetown

Local title
Prügilinn
Original title
Shahre Khamoush
Director
Ahmad Bahrami
Country
Iran
Year
2022
Programme
Official Selection - Competition
Genre
drama
Subject
prison, individual vs society, motherhood

Two years ago, we would definitely have asked Ahmad Bahrami’s “Wasteland” to participate in our competition programme, but the San Sebastian Festival managed to confirm the film before us. However, the producers of the film then decided not to go to San Sebastian, because the Venice Film Festival wanted the film in their programme. Now, two years later, PÖFF is happy to present the new feature film “Waste Town” to the world.

Bemani has spent ten years in jail for killing her husband. Her child was taken away in prison and allegedly given to her husband’s family. Temporarily released, she immediately starts looking for her son. Bemani goes to the car demolition workshop where Ebi, her brother-in-law, works, but he claims not to know anything about the boy’s fate. She finds out, however, that it was Ebi who sold the child to a rich family. Bemani tries to extract more information from the workers of the demolition shop, but they demand an indecent favour in return for the information. As a desperate mother, she is prepared to go to the extremes, but not in the way the men are hoping for.

With his two consecutive films, Ahmad Bahrami stands out as an author with a distinctive style. In this film about hope, revenge and hopelessness, the author has also found a symbol that is significant to the plot and carries a notional generalising meaning: a large hydraulic press.

Mihkel Möölman

Director
Ahmad Bahrami
Screenwriter
Ahmad Bahrami
Cast
Baran Kowsari, Ali Bagheri, Babak Karimi, Behzad Dorani
Producer
Reza Mohaghegh
DoP
Masoud Amini Tirani
Editor
Mostafa Vaziri
Composer
Foad Ghahremani
World sales
Persia Film Distribution
Runtime
Language
Persian
Subtitles
Estonian, English
Director
Ahmad Bahrami

Filmograafia Panah (2017), Dashte Khamoush (Tühermaa, PÖFF 2021), Shahre Khamoush (The Wastetown, 2022)

Grand Prix for The Best Film, grant of 20 000 euros from the city of Tallinn

Screenings

Chill-Hall Apollo Kino Coca-Cola Plaza
Screening150101 / Prügilinn
SubtitlesEnglish, Estonian
Q&A guestsAhmad Bahrami (Film Director)
Q&A duration
Screening duration
2nd Hall Apollo Kino Coca-Cola Plaza
Screening160203 / Prügilinn
SubtitlesEnglish, Estonian
Screening duration
Hall Electric Cinema, Tartu
Screening172202 / Prügilinn
SubtitlesEnglish, Estonian
Screening duration
Trailer
Q&A with the filmmaker