Synopsis

Investigating reports of demonic possessions in a remote village, a skeptical military officer finds his beliefs tested by an enigmatic exorcist.

In 1978, the inhabitants of a small village in Iran called Zalava claim there is a demon among them. Massoud, a young gendarmerie sergeant, who investigates this claim encounters an exorcist attempting to rid the village of the demon.

When he arrests the exorcist on charges of fraud, the villagers fear and anger escalates. Massoud and his love interest, a government doctor, soon find themselves trapped in a cursed house, surrounded by villagers who believe they are both possessed by the demon. --imdb



Cast: Navid Pourfaraj, Pouria Rahimi Sam, Hoda Zeinolabedin, Baset Rezaei, Fereydoun Hamedi, Shahou Rostami, Mahsa Hejazi, Leila Beigi, Zahed Zandi, Saleh Rahimi, Hadi Ahmadi, Darioush Karim Raouf, Salar Zarei, Masoud Beigi, Kordowan Boustan, Varya Amini, Asad Houshman, Azin Kananian, Romina Haji Hosseini, Narin Malek, Keyvan Sheikh Ahmadi

Zalava screened for the first time at the 39th Fajr Film Festival and earned 6 nominations and received 4 awards.

Zalava won the grand prize at Venice’s International Film Critics’ Week. In their joint statement, jurors praised Arsalan Amiri’s “fresh talent” and “playful cinematic language”. They also lauded the movie’s clear stance against “superstition and ignorance.”