The Iranian-Canadian drama Mortician, directed by Abdolreza Kahani, has been officially selected for the Perspective section of the 49th São Paulo International Film Festival. The selection places the film in one of Latin America’s most important showcases, alongside acclaimed titles from major festivals including Cannes and Venice.
This marks the third international stop for Mortician. Its world premiere was held at the Edinburgh International Film Festival, where it won the Sean Connery Prize for Excellence in Filmmaking. The film is also set to compete in the International Competition at the Haifa Film Festival before arriving in São Paulo.
Kahani created Mortician in the spirit of “one-man cinema,” a stripped-down practice in which he assumes nearly all key creative and technical roles — directing, writing, shooting, editing. As Variety noted, it is “a one-man band of director, producer, writer, editor, and cinematographer,” yet the result remains precise and deliberate. Screen Daily described the film as “sensitive, quiet, and persistent,” a drama where political urgency resonates beneath a minimalist surface.
Film Synopsis:
The story follows Mojtaba, an Iranian immigrant in Canada working for a company that prepares Iranian corpses for Islamic burial. When the operation faces closure, Mojtaba’s fragile livelihood is threatened. At the same time, Jana, an exiled Iranian singer hiding from authorities while planning an online protest, approaches him with an unusual request. Their encounter unfolds into a subtle, tension-filled relationship that explores exile, dignity, and survival.