The movie
Divine Comedy
Sharp satire by Iranian director Ali Asgari about the heavy-handedness of censorship and the absurdity of repression. Bahram is a 40-year-old filmmaker whose films have all been banned by the Ministry of Culture. When his latest work is banned once again, he is pushed to the limit.
Description
Bahram has spent his entire career making films in the Turkish-Azeri language, yet none of them have ever been screened in Iran. Together with his sharp-tongued, Vespa-riding producer Sadaf, he embarks on an underground mission to show his latest film to an Iranian audience. Along the way, they try to stay out of the hands of government censors, navigate absurd bureaucracy, and confront Bahram’s own doubts.
Bahram and Bahman Ark—real-life filmmakers who have both experienced censorship—play fictionalized versions of themselves. Actress Sadaf Asgari, who was banned from working in Iran after attending the Cannes Film Festival for Asgari’s Terrestrial Verses, also adds a subversive authenticity to the film by playing herself.
According to director Ali Asgari, the humor in the film “does not come from comedy, but from the absurdity of repression. The complex censorship system collapses under its own contradictions. The characters respond with sarcasm and subtle wit. Their humor is a form of resilience in a situation where open resistance is dangerous. Making this film was, in itself, an act of resistance.”
