What Happened During the Nowruz Screenings of 2024?

According to some local news agencies, this year's Nowruz box office sales were higher than in previous years. However, there are likely to be many criticisms regarding the fewer number of comedy films compared to last year. Historically, the Nowruz box office has been one of the most important times for film screenings in Iran, as more people can go to the cinema during this period. Often, the selections for Nowruz screenings are the highlights of the latest Fajr Film Festival.

This year, seven films were screened in Iranian cinemas during Nowruz: "Bloody Crocodile", "Bodiless", "The West Sky", "Parviz Khan", "Aparatchi", "Norouz" and "Iliya, the Search for a Hero." Notably, Javad Ezzati's name appears as a director for the first time. The film "Bloody Crocodile," directed by Javad Ezzati and produced by Kamran Hejazi, is currently the highest-grossing film in Iran in 1403. Interestingly, it broke the record of the highest-grossing film of 1401, "Solitary" directed by Seyed Masoud Atyabi, in less than a month. It is also worth mentioning that the record for the third, fourth, and fifth highest-grossing films of 1402—"Hawaii", "Lawless City" and "Beach Villa"—was also broken by Javad Ezzati's debut film.

This comedy film, written by Pedram Saeedi Afshar (based on a story by Ali Dadrass), has been well-received by critics. According to some critics and film enthusiasts on social media, the film has received good marks in acting, editing, and screenplay, though some criticism of the acting remains. The actors in this film have typically reprised their previous roles. However, one of the positive critiques of this film that should be mentioned is the absence of sexual jokes, which has set it apart from its competitors. The main actors in this film are Javad Ezzati, Abbas Jamshidi Far, Saeed Aghakhani, Elnaz Habibi, and Behzad Khalaj.

The summary of the film states: "I'm a crocodile, a bloody crocodile! A wounded man who has lost everything in life and has nothing to lose... but still craves big risks!"

The next highest-grossing film is "Bodiless," which also marks the debut of its director and has received good reviews as a drama. Young director Morteza Alizadeh was nominated for Best First Film Director at the 42nd Fajr Film Festival and is currently in second place at the Nowruz screening box office. This film features many popular actors, including Elnaz Shakerdoost, Navid Pourfaraj, Golareh Abbasi, Pejman Jamshidi, and the beloved Soroush Sehhat.

The summary of this film is: "A story about the murder of a girl whose family is searching for her body."

Finally, in third place is the comedy film "Aparatchi," directed by Ghorbanali Taherfar. This film was also presented at the 42nd Fajr Film Festival. "Aparatchi" is about Jalil, a house painter who loves cinema, whose strange and unusual attachments to cinema cause him trouble. Touraj Alvand plays the role of Jalil, and other actors in this film include Fatemeh Masoudifar, Omid Rouhani, Alireza Ostadi, and the successful comedic duo Houman Barghnavard and Behnam Tashakor.

We have reviewed the top three films of the Nowruz screenings of 1403, raising many questions. For instance, can "Bloody Crocodile" break the record of "Fossil" as it continues its screening? Will Iranian filmmakers continue to focus on comedy films? Did Iranian cinema have a strong start in the first month of this year? If you want to read more about Iranian cinema, be sure to look out for future issues where we will address all these questions and various other aspects of Iranian cinema.

Shayan Iroomloo Tabrizi