The 5th edition of the ARK GATE International Film Festival (AGIFF) is approaching. Dedicated to supporting independent cinema and discovering fresh, creative voices, this year’s festival will once again showcase outstanding works from around the world.
The list of officially selected films has now been announced. These films represent a wide range of cultures, artistic courage, and deeply human stories — reaffirming cinema as a universal language of emotion and thought.
For the latest updates, screening schedules, and special events, please visit the official ARK GATE International Film Festival website.
Following its acclaimed world premiere at the Edinburgh International Film Festival, where it received the Sean Connery Prize for Feature Filmmaking Excellence, and subsequent screenings at the Haifa and São Paulo International Film Festivals, Mortician continues its global journey with its Australian premiere at the 33rd Brisbane International Film Festival (BIFF 2025).
Written and directed by Abdolreza Kahani, Mortician has been praised by international critics for its raw realism, bold political subtext, and innovative “single-person cinema” approach. The film’s selection at BIFF marks its fourth international screening, reinforcing its position as one of the year’s most distinctive independent features.
Mortician follows Mojtaba, an Iranian expatriate in Canada who washes the dead according to Islamic rites for fellow immigrants. When his workplace faces closure, his life intersects with Jana, an exiled pop star plotting a social-media protest—an encounter that forces both characters to confront dignity, loss, and exile in a fractured world.
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.
Abdolreza Kahani’s latest feature “Mortician” has been officially selected for the Golden Anchor Competition at the 41st Haifa International Film Festival.
The film had its world premiere at the Edinburgh International Film Festival in August 2025, where it was awarded the Sean Connery Prize for Feature Filmmaking Excellence, a recognition voted for by audiences. Shot entirely on an iPhone in what Kahani describes as a form of single-person cinema, Mortician continues to challenge traditional filmmaking structures with its stripped-down, intimate approach.
Set in the wintry landscapes of Canada, the story follows the encounter between an Iranian mortician and a dissident singer, forcing both to confront questions of faith, protest, and the fragile burden of exile.
With its bold minimalism and uncompromising tone, Mortician is poised to make a strong impact at Haifa as it continues its international festival journey.
“Mortician”, the latest film by Abdolreza Kahani, premiered at the 2025 Edinburgh International Film Festival and won the Sean Connery Prize for Feature Filmmaking Excellence. This award, determined by audience votes, also includes £50,000 to support the director’s next project. The prize was presented to Kahani at the closing ceremony by Jason Connery on behalf of the Connery Foundation.
“Mortician” is a Canadian film in Persian that takes place in Canada.
The story follows Mojtaba, an Iranian mortician living in Canada, who, upon learning that his workplace is closing, encounters Jana, a singer in exile. She plans to undertake a shocking act on social media to draw attention to the repression of dissenters. Their meeting unfolds a compact, human story that oscillates between the sorrow of exile and the hope for life.
Kahani shot the film in a minimalist style, reportedly entirely with an iPhone, without the use of professional equipment. This choice complements the film’s intimate, two-person narrative, giving it a direct and unmediated quality.
International critics responded positively:
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Screen Daily described the film as a “sensitive, quiet, and persistent drama” that beautifully hides its political anger behind a minimalist and cold visual aesthetic.
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Variety – Guy Lodge: “The film feels more like an intimate two-hander, a relationship that begins with cold collaboration and transforms into human coexistence… Although shot on an iPhone, it is never careless, carefully juxtaposing the cold environment with the warmth of human interaction.”
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Screen Daily – Jonathan Romney: “A calm and precise drama” that effectively depicts the darkest aspects of exile, especially when Jana’s character faces real threats and surveillance.
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Film is a Fine Affair – Vasilis Kroustalis: “A quiet bomb of moral responsibility,” a film that places the heavy burden of discrimination and ethical duty on its characters within a cold environment, creating suspense.
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Live for Film – Joe Gordon: “A quiet yet powerful work,” portraying two exiled characters in the cold Canadian setting, forming a human relationship whose impact resonates in the silence of cinema.
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Deadline – Callum McLennan: “Though filmed in Canada on an iPhone, the movie is full of feeling and of the heavy consequences of trying to live in one’s own way.” He went on to note Kahani’s words: “Once, I was banned from making films in my country. So I had to do something. This film is not a protest on paper. It is something real. Physical. A way to breathe again.”
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The Herald – Barry Didcock: “Audacious, gripping, affecting and disturbing.”
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The Movie Isle – Marie O’Sullivan: “Writer, director, and all-rounder Abdolreza Kahani uses nothing fancy to make his film. Employing a minimalist approach, the visuals are simple (but not simplistic) and the performances natural and full of humanity.”
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The Skinny – Jamie Dunn: The film “Mortician” is described as a dramatic and political work with a subtle humorous tone. Dunn regards it as a low-budget film, yet rich in visual innovation.
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Eye For Film – Amber Wilkinson: “Writer, director, and all-rounder Abdolreza Kahani uses nothing fancy to make his film. Employing a minimalist approach, the visuals are simple (but not simplistic) and the performances natural and full of humanity.”
After receiving the award, Abdolreza Kahani said:
“I made this film without money, through hard work. My body still aches. This is single-person cinema. It stands against large-scale financial support for particular films. Please correct these funding imbalances. I thank Paul Reed, who discovered this cinema. This film speaks of warning and a great danger. I hope world leaders can hear it. Now the Sean Connery statue is in my hands. I must make better films. I thank Visit Films, the distributor.”
“Mortician” was produced by Ark Gate Films (owned by Abdolreza Kahani and Shima Monfared), as well as NivaArt and Visit Films.
Its successful screening at Edinburgh and winning the top prize set a bright outlook for the film’s continued presence in global festivals and markets—a path that, supported by critical acclaim and its international distributor, could lead to wider releases.
