SEVEN DAYS at TIFF: Interview with Ali Samadi Ahadi

Ali Samadi Ahadi was born in Tabriz, Iran, and is now based in Cologne, Germany. He’s an award-winning filmmaker, with directorial credits including Lost Children (05) and The Green Wave (10). Seven Days (24) is his latest film.

Interview by Emmanuel Itier

https://tiff.net/events/seven-days

TIFF invited an amazing director, Mr. Ali Samadi Ahadi, to showcase his very moving new film: Seven Days. You will have tears in your eyes while watching this beautiful and intense picture. The notion of family has never been explored in such a deep and dramatic way. Human right activist Maryam will make you re-think your life priorities and one can only wonder what one would do if you were in her shoes and choosing the path she took. Bravo to Ali Samadi Ahadi for this “tour de force” and long live Freedom as it is such in danger nowadays.

Q: How did this come together and what were you trying to achieve with it?

Ali: It was a film project I had known for years. Someone else was going to direct it and I was helping with its financing. But that person suddenly ended up in prison in Iran. After 200 days in jail, he was released but he called me saying he couldn’t work anymore because he was under the scrutiny of the government and the police. So, he asked me to make this film. It was an important decision for me. But after a while, thinking about it and talking with my family, I decided to make it. And so, I started the process of making it, a year ago, in September 2023. It was a big endeavor between the location scouting and the casting process. I was trying to make a movie with honesty about this activist and about her choices.

Q: Tell me about the various challenges you faced making this film?

Ali: The whole movie was a challenge. It wasn’t easy to film in Iran, especially because we didn’t have the permission to film there. Even for me to enter the country was difficult. Also, the financing was tough, and we had to find very quickly some money to make it happen. We got part of the money and thanks to lots of people who worked for nothing, we were able to complete our movie. People were passionate about our film, and they gave everything they could to help us. I also was so lucky that the famous Iranian actress Vishka Asayesh accepted the lead role for the peace activist. She is a superstar in Iran, and she brought some much experience and talent to this project. There were scenes in the high mountains of Iran, 3000 meters high with minus 25 degrees Celsius, that were tremendously difficult to film. And Vishka never complained, and she did an amazing job. The whole cast was incredible, and I am very thankful to them for the job accomplished. It was such an amazing experience.

Q: What is your movie truly about, what are the themes explored?

Ali: The main question the movie is asking is: how far are you willing to go when our values and norms are in danger? How can we sacrifice our private life to save the society we live in? And to save the values that are the fundamental basis for our living together? Then you have the dilemma of Maryam as a mother and her kids and her husband. The movie is asking you, what would you do if you were her? What would you do when you realize the safety of your kids is really about the safety of all kids? If I protect all kids, then this means my kids are also protected. In many cases in the history of the World we had people like her willing to scarify their lives for others.

Q: Tell me about being at TIFF and what does this festival means to your film?

Ali: When you are so deeply involved making a film you lose some sense of objectivity about what you are creating. So, it’s great for my film to be played in front of an audience and for me to see how they react. It’s about facing the truth and the reality of the quality of work. It’s a great feeling for me to see how people are touched and moved by this story. I’m very grateful to be here.