The Ashes

The Ashes
Short Film / Fiction / Crime / IRAN 2019

Driving in the mountain, a couple are looking for a place to burn the corpse which they carry in the car boot.


Director: Aryan Golsoorat

Writer & Producer: Aryan Golsoorat
Cast: Alireza Sanifar, Mahdieh Nassaj & Siavash Cheraghi Pour
Director of Photography: Pouya Aminpouri
Editor: Pouyan Sholevar
Sound: Hamed Hosseinzadeh
Sound Editor: Mohammad Hossein Ebrahimi
First Assistant Director: Mostafa Salem
Script Supervisor: Elika Hosseini
Still Photographer: Mohsen Sharafodin
Make-up: Sepideh Soelimani
Production Manager: Saeed Faraji

Biography of Director

Aryan Golsoorat, DOB: Tehran Iran, 3/3/1990
• Master in Cinema, faculty of cinema and theater, university of art (2016 to Present)
• Member of Iranian society of film and writers (2018 to Present)
• On the editorial board of Caffecinema, a professional Iranian movie website(www.caffecinema.com) (2010 to Present)
• On the editorial board of Picture world movie magazine, a professional Iranian movie magazine (2009 to Present)
• members of the chief editor’s committee in 24 frames website, a professional Iranian website for short movie (2017 to Present)

Filmography:
Shortcut (2017), The Ashes (2018), The visit (2019)
“The Ashes” was screened at major film festivals such as 33rd Fribourg International Film Festival, Switzerland & Golden Apricot Yerevan Armenia & Prishtina International Film Festival, Kosovo & … .

 

Director Statement

For a while, picture of a couple who are about to burn a corpse in an abandoned place, had made my mind busy. I wrote several drafts based on this scene, and ‘Ashes’ was the last. At the beginning, I wanted to make a movie with a completely tragic theme, probably due to the contradictory comments on my first short movie (which was a criminal comedy), during Iranian movie festivals. Soon enough, I changed my mind and wrote the screenplay of ‘Ashes’ in my favourite atmosphere and genre; another criminal comedy with the characters whom we find in the middle of nowhere, a mountain. Movie starts with a couple who have an unusual occupation, yet, like every other couples, they are engaged in spousal conflicts. The unpredictable events in the rest of the movie happen to interpret the characters’ behaviour and their relations as somehow surprising and funny. In fact, I always wished to make movies which are not limited to an area or a culture, therefore despite the dialogues which are in Farsi, there is no sign of my hometown, Iran, throughout the movie. Moreover, since Iranian cinema tends to social subjects, and movie makers are mostly fond of social melodramas, there is not much favour for other genres and areas. So, I tried to challenge myself by going for my favourite style and genre, far from the common style of movie making which are tested and proven in Iran. Anyway, the shooting of this movie took only 2 days, with a small group of close friends and devoted colleagues . ‘Ashes’ with all the challenges and difficulties was a great experience and I wish whoever watches this movie, comes to believe, that is, at least, made by a cinema lover. 



Technical Format

Preview Screen-er Format

  • MP4 H264 (HD 1080, Stereo 320, 48 kHz )
    Exhibition Format:
  • HD (1920×1080) ~1.78:1 aspect ratio
  • Language: Persian , Subtitle: English

Distributor & Sales Agent: Finish Films

Official Selections:

  • 33th Fribourg International Film Festival, Switzerland 2019
  • 16th Golden Apricot Yerevan International Film Festival, Armenia 2019
  • 11th Prishtina International Film Festival, Kosovo 2019
  • 2th Ravac International Film Festival, Moldova 2019
  • 26th Open Eyes Filmfest Marburg, Germany 2019
  • 11th Trenton Film Festival, USA 2019
  • 5th Diversions International Short Film Festival, Croatia 2019
  • 7th Emirates Short Film Festival, UAE 2020