Interview with Katayoon Fathali director of "The other" short film

What was your motivation for making the film?

I am sure that I and many others have experienced censorship in Iran's cinema and theater space. I wanted to show the effect of censorship on the personal and professional lives of artists based on my personal experience and those around me.

How did the idea of the film come to you?

Honestly, we wrote the script together. My first spark was when Parasto (actor and writer) one of her works was censored for several times. I suggested to her that it would be great if we could make a film about it.

What is your main goal of filmmaking in Iran?

I had a clearer answer before, but unfortunately due to the difficult economic conditions and difficulties we have in Iran. I can truly say that I have no other goal than love.

How concerned is the subject of the movie and why did you choose this one?

As I said above, it is very, very important to know that censorship does not only happen in artistic works, but gradually enters all aspects of a person's life in society.

How did you come to these cast and crew and what are your criteria for selection?

Considering the low budget of my work, I had really good actors and I wrote the screenplay as a collaborative work with the actor, and my sister was also the cinematographer of the film. The process was really enjoyable because the process of writing and rehearsing with the camera and the actor all went parallel.

What were the Problems with the film production?

The problem was very, very big. Unfortunately, due to the low budget and the fact that the production manager was not present, the tasks that I had to do became much more than what should have been, but fortunately, it has been done.

Tell us about the positive points and good memories in making, producing, writing the script, finding the crew or any other subject that can inspire the filmmakers?

In my opinion, finding a crew who connect with the idea of the work and are creative despite the financial problems can be very encouraging for the filmmaker, and I had the chance that despite the problems in the production process, all the crew stayed with the work because they liked the idea.

Tell us about the film funding and the challenges?

Well, this was one of the most difficult parts of the work, as I did not receive any money from any organization or producer, and I did not even ask for money from my own family. My job is editing and my sister is filming, we worked for months and collected to get the budget for the film. Of course, I would like to say that the crew that coped with the low budget of the project was effective.

What are your expectations of your movie?

It's really hard to answer these general questions, because I think every audience can have their own unique relationship with the film. But I hope the others who had the experience of censorship will talk more about it.

Anything else you want to talk about?

I can't think of a specific point, but I think that making movies these days has become almost impossible, I hope that companies will be found that can provide financial support to younger filmmakers.