Synopsis

A paroxysmal dream emerges from the depths of Kieslowski's filmography and awakens the doomed Iranian director Sohrab who, banned from making films, spends his days in a neighborhood cafe.

However, the request of a young woman to present her performance in the store will mean new troubles, both for his already troubled marriage and for his strained relations with the authorities who are pressuring him to give "juicy" information if he wants to ease his fall. —Thessaloniki International Film Festival



Cast: Ramin Sayar Dashti, Setareh Maleki, Mahsa Mahjoor, Mehdi Sajadifar, Masood Esmaeeli



Jailed Iranian filmmaker Navid Mihanoust presents a self-referential tale of a director living in limbo while waiting for a prison sentence.

Cafe premiered in Thessaloniki’s Open Horizons, and further festival play and arthouse interest seem highly likely going forward; not just because of the filmmaker’s personal story but because of the accessible nature of the film, scripted by David Mihandoust, which interweaves its more melancholy moments with a considerable amount of humour.

In the real world, Mihandoost is continuing to make courageous choices. In the week before his film’s premiere it was reported that he had been moved to solitary confinement in Evin. The International Coalition for Filmmakers at Risk, among others, continues to call for his release.