Zalava

  30th May 21:00 - Live at Parabola Arts Centre

  31st May 00:01 - 6th June 23;59 Online

UK PREMIERE

In the remote mountain village of Zalava in Iran, the inhabitants are convinced that an ancient demon is among them. A pragmatic policeman, Massoud (Navid Pourfaraj), keeps a close watch on the strange and sometimes dangerous rituals they use to appease it. When a self-proclaimed exorcist (Pouria Rahimi Sam) comes to the village, and Massoud arrests him as a fraudster, the investigator falls foul of the frightened citizens. This triggers a series of events – whether earthly or supernatural – that put Massoud and his girlfriend (Hoda Zeinolabedin) in real danger. Zalava is much more than a generic Hollywood exorcism saga. Making his feature debut, director Amiri explores many more topics, including superstition and the collective fear of the unexplained: some also find allegorical elements in the story, which is set just before the 1978 Iranian Revolution. At the same time, he creates an atmospheric and impressively scary tale that makes excellent use of his 93 minutes.

Kurdish/Persian with English subtitles