Dead of Night
Directed by Farhad Vilkiji

By Europe Media Nest **
(a Czech based film production company)

Dead of Night: Directed by Farhad Vilkiji. With Ali Mosaffa, Naval Sharifi, Gülçin Santircioglu, Soroush Helali, Nora Hanifeh Zadeh

One standout feature is “Dead of Night” by Farhad Vilkiji, marking his directorial debut. The film delves into the struggles of an Iranian intellectual navigating political and personal challenges, promising a poignant exploration of human resilience. --The Statesman

After years of living in exile for shared reasons, as an artist and filmmaker, I felt compelled to shed light on the lives of those who are living under dictatorial regimes and censorship, so that everyone knows what they are truly going through. --Farhad Vilkiji

Amid a society that clings tightly to its cultural traditions, a translator, writer, and poet finds himself at odds with the government's restrictive cultural structure.



With his finances stretched thin and his wife expelled from the university, he retreats to an abandoned house in his hometown. But just as he begins writing a new novel, a looming threat emerges - the rising river that threatens to engulf him and his family.

As he battles to keep the floodwaters at bay, he's also fighting against the oppressive forces of the government that seek to silence his dissenting voice. But he's determined to finish his book, even as his situation becomes increasingly dire.

Director's Statement

In dictatorships, intellectuals have always played a crucial role in shaping thoughts and leading struggles. Totalitarian governments are fully aware of this fact and have consistently pursued these intellectuals, utilising methods such as threats, censorship, imprisonment, torture, and even murder, to diminish their influence.

Intellectuals who have dared to expose the monstrous nature of dictatorial governments and raise awareness among the people have always been under the threat of elimination.

As someone who was born and raised in such a government, and through my involvement in the art of cinema and close connections with the intellectual community, I have witnessed firsthand the atrocities committed by these regimes.



There is one particular example that has stayed with me for years and inspired me to create this film. Years ago, by sheer coincidence, I witnessed a part of the painful life of a writer and translator whose lifeless body I saw after his murder. Interestingly, we shared the same name: Farhad. This writer had migrated to a small village years before, due to threats, censorship, and poverty, and was ultimately murdered in complete innocence.

After years of living in exile for shared reasons, as an artist and filmmaker, I felt compelled to shed light on the lives of those who are living under dictatorial regimes and censorship, so that everyone knows what they are truly going through.


Farhad Vilkiji
Director (@farhadvilkiji)

Farhad Vilkiji is a Persian/Dutch film director and film production designer, born in 1972. EFA member (European Film Academy), member of jury in “Scenecs” International film festival since 2012 in The Netherlands.

Since 1999 he is working in film industry as an independent Film production designer and costume designer. During 20 years of film making, he has worked on various feature films and historical documentaries. These films have won prizes in Cannes film Festival, Berlin film Festival, Locarno film Festival, Venice film Festival.



2011 has marked his film directional debut on different films and series among which some mid- length films and online series in the Netherlands. The short length film ”Leili” won the Honourable Mention 2018, Best Experimental, Independent Shorts Awards in Hollywood.

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** (a Czech based film production company founded in 2015 by the Iranian producer Kaveh Farnam.)