Interview with Iranian filmmaker Kiarash Bokaeyan, recipient of the Outstanding Achievement Award (Grand Jury Prize) for Foreigner Short in the Fall edition, for the drama short “Varanus”.

Award-winning Iranian filmmaker Kiarash Bokaeyan talks about “Varanus”, an impressive 15-minute film that revolves around a hearing-impaired teenage boy who is forced by a man to participate in secret and illegal fight competitions.

Born in 1982 in Iran, Kiarash studied cinema at Tehran University of Arts and worked in several film projects. “Varanus” is his first professional short film independently produced with a very low budget.

Cal Film Festival: What made you decide to make this film?

Kiarash Bokaeyan: I read a news in the news media that adults are abusing children for their material benefits. This news was very impressive for me and stayed in my mind for months. After some time, I wrote the script of the movie based on this news. I rewrote the script several times and when I was satisfied with it, I started making it because I felt that the topic of the film is important and that abusing children anywhere and in any way is a criminal act and against moral and humane principles.

Cal Film Festival: What was your budget and how did you influence the production?

KB: I tried to attract investors for a long time, but I did not succeed in attracting capital. I decided to make this film at my own expense and from my savings. Definitely, if the film was made with a better financial budget, the result wouldn’t be the same. But I decided to get the best possible result based on a small budget. Accordingly, I asked my friends to help in the production of the film with a low salary. For example, I asked my friend, who had the experience of filming several other short films, to do the filming. I invited my other friends who had acting experience. After some time, the executive team was completed in the same way and the film was produced.

Cal Film Festival: How long was the shoot and what were the main challenges on the set?

KB: We shot the movie in 7 sessions. My most important challenge was the child actors who had to fight with each other. In order for these fights to be natural, I used a coach who trained several sessions with the actors and a good result was obtained. One of my other challenges in the production of this film were the sequences in the desert.  The temperature difference in the desert is big during the day and the child actors had to be half naked and the cold might make them sick. This concern of mine was solved by the good measures of the team.

Cal Film Festival: What impact do you expect to have with “Varanus”?

KB: I hope this movie will make less children abused.

Cal Film Festival: Are you happy with the end result or would you change anything?

KB: I am very satisfied with the result. This film is the result of my experience and knowledge until that day and I have used all my strength to make it. I hope I can use the experience of this movie in the next movie and make a better movie.

Cal Film Festival: What are your general career goals and what is the future?

KB: I am trying to make my first professional feature film soon.

Cal Film Festival: Do you have any advice for other independent filmmakers, especially for newcomers?

KB: Filmmaking is a demanding job, and for this profession, you must be very knowledgeable about filmmaking and the production and post-production process. The more skills you gain in these areas, the better results you will get. But the most important thing is to cultivate critical thinking, which can help in the process of forming your perspective as a filmmaker by continuously studying literature, novels, and short stories.

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