A cinematic reflection on the status quo in Iranian society, between state repression and brave resistance, that gets under the viewer’s skin. Tarlan is a witness to the murder of her friend Rana. The perpetrator is Rana’s husband, a high-ranking government official. When the police refuse to pursue any serious investigation of the case, Tarlan must decide whether she will bow to political pressure and lose her reputation and livelihood – or fight for justice.

Marina Pavido describes THE WITNESS on cinema-austriaco.org as a film that leaves space for shimmers of hope in spite of its extreme sombreness: “An extremely realistic, angry, painful feature film, which, however, never seems to lose hope that things can change in the future.”

Nader Saeivar, born in 1974 in Tabriz/Iran, works as a writer and director. He completed his master’s degree at the University of Tehran and has since taught cinema at various institutes and universities. In 1992, he also began his career as a director with several short films. He also co-wrote the screenplay for the feature film 3 FACES with Jafar Panahi, which won the Best Screenplay Award at the 2018 Cannes International Film Festival.

Filmography (selection): 2020 NAMO, 2022 NO END, 2024 THE WITNESS

Awards: Audience Award “Armani Beauty” in the section “Orizzonti Extra” (Venice International Film Festival, Italy 2024)