Padash

Kamal Tabrizi is a veteran filmmaker who has been always interested to depict the themes that others hesitate to approach to. He made Leily is with me (1995) in the midst of Iran-Iraq war, when no one could ever dared to make a comedy on the subject of war. With Lizard (2003), he pictured a thief who slips into a cleric's robe to escape from the jail. On his way to reach the border, he pretends to be a Mulla and preaches the people. The film was banned for some years but last spring, it was eventually released. And now with Reward, he looks at an ancient traditional ritual with a fresh look. On his way to Mecca to perform his religious duty, he thought this meaningful gathering can be done in a new and pleasant way to encourage young people to attend. So he decided to picture a story in a comic yet attractive way. Describing a traditional ceremony in a modern style was far ahead of its time, which caused a 7 years ban but again this year the film was released. (Busan International Film Festival)