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No Prior Appointment film image, director Behrooz Shoaibi

No Prior Appointment

Bedoun-e Gharar-e Ghabli

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North American Premiere

Introspective and subtle, No Prior Appointment tells the story of an Iranian immigrant who, after 30 years, is compelled to return to her home country upon learning of her estranged father’s death. She hastily takes leave from her work as a doctor in Germany, bringing her young autistic son with her. Director Behrooz Shoaibi explores the ideas of return, leftover threads of memory of a land, and the sense of self that was once left behind. With nuanced grace, the film explores the longing for homeland, the questions of belonging, and the strange sense of homecoming upon return to the country of your childhood.

Pegah Ahangarani leads the film with her steady presence. Filled with fascinating, warm characters, No Prior Appointment provides a vibrant glimpse of Iran. Chosen by the Iranian National Commission for UNESCO as film of the year for its portrayal of autism, and nominated for Best Director, Best Cinematography, and Best Screenplay at the 2022 Fajr Film Festival.

 

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Director
Cast

Pegah Ahangarani, Mostafa Zamani, Elham Korda, Amin Miri, Mohammad Kiani, Erfan Ebrahimi, Saber Abar

Credits
Country of Origin

Iran

Year

2022

Language

In Farsi with English subtitles

Film Contact
18+
115 min
Drama

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Credits

Producer

Mahmoud Babaie

Screenwriter

Farhad Tohidi, Mehdi Torab Beigi

Cinematography

Mohammad Haddadi

Editor

Ata Mehrad

Production Design

Keivan Moghaddam

Original Music

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Director

Behrooz Shoaibi headshot, No Prior Appointment director

Behrooz Shoaibi

Born in 1979 in Mashhad, Behrooz Shoaibi has been active in different fields of cinema. As an actor, he started his career with Ebrahim Hatamikia’s The Glass Agency (1998) and gained critical and public attention with Homayoun Asadian’s Gold and Copper (2010). His TV movies and series include The Sloe Garden (2005), Wings of Happiness (2008), Abandoned (2009), Somewhere Between Staying and Going (2010), and Secluded (2014). His debut feature film, The Corridor, was nominated for Best Film at the 2013 Fajr International Film Festival.

Filmography: The Corridor (2013); Cyanide (2016); Axing (2017); The Uprising Day (2019)