Q&A with the director of Without My Friend, Mohammad-Ali Talebi.

Two teenage girls record a video of themselves letting their families and boyfriends know that they are going to kill themselves in a few minutes. They joke, laugh and fool around in the video, talking about their suicide with a strikingly light-hearted and comical attitude. A few minutes later, they throw themselves off one of the highest bridges in Isfahan.

The story of the two girls and their nonchalant last video shook the country and baffled millions. Their suicide and the intentions behind it seemed to the two girls nothing more than a topic to joke about.

Shocking, heart-wrenching and meticulously detailed, Without My Friend follows the families and friends of the two girls in an attempt to shed light on the astonishing relationship of Iran’s young generation with life, death and freedom.

Considered one of the country’s leading filmmakers who has consistently made substantial contributions to children’s and youth cinema, Mohammad-Ali Talebi is one of the most significant figures of Iranian cinema.
Having directed some of the great works of Iranian cinema such as Willow and Wind>, >The Boot and Bag of Rice, he has played a key role in gaining international recognition for Iranian cinematography in the past two decades. Many of his films have been selected and won awards at international film festivals such as Berlin, San Francisco, Chicago, Sundance, New York, Montreal, Amsterdam, London, Toronto, Tokyo, Zlín and Bangkok.