Dark room

Directed by Mobin Hajilooie. 8min 18sec

Mobin Hajilooie is an Iranian filmmaker, actor, and writer studying acting at the University of Tehran. His surreal films and stories explore alienation and poetic reflection, often in Kafkaesque tones. His previous short was recognized at several international festivals. Working with minimal resources in contemporary Iran, he creates cinema that questions rather than resolves echoing Kiarostami’s open-ended vision. Dark Room continues his exploration of fractured identities and post-industrial disquiet.

Director Statement

Dark Room explores the silence and uncertainty of existence. The camera acts as a cold, invasive gaze like a surveillance device pressing the character into a state of dread. As in Camus’ The Stranger, the audience is left to confront their own sense of meaning or its absence.