This Is Not a Film

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Hello?

Hello, hi.

Hi. How's it going?

Fine. How are you?

Thanks. What's up?

Not much.

l'm having breakfast.

Bon Appetite!

Are you outside office?

Yes. Somehow l'm making an effort.

So you're busy.

Kind of.

Listen...

l'm stuck in a problem.

What did you do about that thing?

l'm about to find out more

and l'm trying to talk

with a couple of guys.

ActualIy, l'm waiting

for the right moment to start.

Then it hasn't started yet?

l'm taking a chance here and there.

l mean l haven't started

serious production yet.

Just doing some things for now.

Listen. l...

l can't say much on the phone.

Can you come to my place?

What is it?

Anything happened?

No, don't get worried.

Just come over. l have a few ideas

l want to tell you about.

Come here and we'll see what can be done.

All right. l'm somewhere

but l'll try to get there quickIy.

So you'll be here

in about half an hour, right?

l hope so.

There's the traffic, but l'll try.

l'll see you then.

Sure.

Just don't tell anyone

you're coming here, OK?

ls there a problem?

No. Don't be worried.

Just come over.

Bye.

See you.

See you.

THIS IS NOT A FILM

Hello, Jafar?

Are you awake?

l wanted to say that Panah and l

are going to your mum's.

and we'll give her New Year present,

and then maybe...

we'll go together to your sister's

to give her present too.

You want to talk to dad?

Hold on...

Dad, listen. l turned the camera on

and placed it on the chair.

l just think there isn't much charge

Ieft in it. The battery might run out.

Bye.

Don't get worried

if we're home late.

l'll try and call you again.

Oh, by the way,

don't forget Igi's food.

Get out of bed right now.

lgi's food is on the balcony.

Just wash it well.

Our daughter will kill us

if her lgi gets sick.

Make sure to water the flowers.

Don't get worried

if l call you late...

or if l don't call at all.

The city is real busy today,

and the lines

will probabIy get disconnected.

We'll come home late tonight.

l'll call you if l can.

l love you. Bye.

Here.

Eat and let's make up.

Stubborn boy.

Have some cheese.

Up here...

There...

Hello?

Hello Ms. Gheyrat.

Hello sir.

How are you?

This is Panahi. Very well.

How are you doing?

Fine, thank you.

Any news, Ms. Gheyrat?

Nothing new.

The appeals court hasn't decided yet.

So where do l stand right now?

l mean is it going to be clear

by the New Year?

lt all depends.

If there is some influence,

then they may issue

a verdict immediateIy.

But recent verdicts

have all taken long.

Do you think...

the appeals judge...

will confirm the verdict or not?

l need to know.

l believe that

the complementary punishment...

What's that?

l mean the 30-year ban.

Yes, 20-year ban.

Oh yes.

The 20-year.

l believe the

and the 6-year imprisonment

will perhaps be reduced somewhat.

This is my guess.

That means

l'll definitely go to prison.

Yes, the prison is certain.

They're not going to acquit you.

unless there is some

very strong order, a strong decisin,

or some pressure.

They never completeIy

over-rule the punishment.

What do you mean by ''pressure''?

Are you talking

about international reactions?

Yes, and the internal pressure, too.

The internal demand

can make a major influence.

Rakhshan (Banietemad)

talked to me, too.

l see.

l told her all this.

l don't know what effort

recommendation, attention...

these things

do make a difference, you know.

The domestic cinema community

isn't in a position right now

to be of much help.

l mean if they make the slightest move,

they'll be banned from working as well.

l really don't expect any reaction from...

l fulIy understand.

l recentIy managed

to reduce a 4 months old case...

in the same court, from 2-year sentence

to a 1-year sentence.

So you see?

Yes, but...

But l haven't seen a case

in which the appeals judge

will completeIy

over-rule the sentence.

They either confirm or reduce it a bit.

So l...

But your verdict...

my guess is that the judge

will definiteIy take

the 20-year ban away,

and might give a

discount on the 6-year term.

So from what you're saying,

l should pack my sack

and put it by the front door.

l hope it won't be that way.

What can l say?

l'm realIy ashamed on my own behalf.

Since we don't know

what's going to happen either.

Since the rulings

aren't legal rulings at all, unfortunateIy.

That's why our legal arguments

were not heard.

l should say this plain and simple

that the rulings are...

one hundred percent political

and not legal at all,

not judicial at all.

lt all depends

on the current social conditions

and the pressures and reactions.

Thank you very much.

l'm really ashamed

for bothering you so much.

Oh, no.

Please don't say that.

Goodbye.

Goodbye.

l think l should remove this cast

and throw it away.

Do you remember the film ''Mirror''?

''Mirror'' was my second film.

lt was about a little girl

whose mother hasn't shown up...

to pick her up from school,

and she tries to go home on her own,

and to find the way.

She gets on the bus, and as the bus goes,

she realises

that she's going the wrong way.

Eventually

the girl can't take it any more.

She takes out the cast

and throws it away.

She says that she wants to be herself.

''What you've done is a lie.

l do know my way home.

l don't understand

what you want from me.''

Don't look at the camera, Mina.

- l'm not acting anymore!

- Cut.

Mina...

l want to get off!

What's the matter?

l'm not acting anymore!

Has somebody bothered you?

Open the door!

Let me off!

- What should l do?

- Stop the bus.

Open up!

Mina, won't you say?

No, l won't.

Let her get off.

l'm not sure about the outcome, but...

Bring the camera closer.

- You want to shoot this?

- Yes.

- Shall we block off the sidewalk?

- No. Never mind that.

She might touch the microphone.

Do we have her voice?

Yes.

Ready to shoot?

Let's go then.

Check the sound.

Recording.

So l was saying.

l think right now l'm in

exactly a similar position as Mina.

Somehow l must remove my cast

and throw it away.

This morning

after we talked on the phone,

l sat down and reviewed the shots

l had filmed earlier.

l realised it seems like pretending

in a sense.

lt is turning out to be a lie

and that it is somehow not me.

l remembered you

were going to make a film...

about such problems.

What was it exactly?

Behind the scenes

of Iranian filmmakers not making films.

l see.

That's why l asked you to come over.

Perhaps we could achieve something

inside this house.

l'll tell you now.

Just a moment, let me get this.

By the way, l don't know

much about technical problems.

Now do we need

additional light for the ambience?

Right now

the problem is over-saturation.

The problem is over-exposure.

But there is too much light

coming through the windows.

So l don't need

to fetch additional light?

Good. Let's go into the kitchen.

What are you going to do?

Let's drink our tea

and think about what to do.

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