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The Bora film image; concerned man in a room full of papers

The Bora

Sardbad

Vanguard

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North American Premiere

The discovery of a dead body during a mountain expedition unravels a 15-year-old murder mystery linked to the victim’s friend. The more witnesses and family members come forward to share their side of the story, the more confusing and elaborate the case becomes. What starts as a seemingly straightforward investigation into a mountaineering accident soon becomes a tale of unrequited love, revenge, bitter family feuds, and broken friendships.

This sharply scripted, elliptical crime drama styled as an arthouse procedural marks a sophisticated spin on the endlessly popular true crime trope. Mohammad Esmaeili’s proficient feature debut masterfully blends modern genre conventions with classic cinematic traditions. Complemented by the handsome black and white cinematography, The Bora exudes an elegant, hermetic quality, as well as a mysterious narrative allure that will keep you at the edge of your seat until the very end.

 

Media Partner

Range logo

Director
Cast

Mehran Nael, Maysam Damanzeh, Mehrdad Ziaie, Majid Agha-Karimi, Khosro Ahmadi, Hamed Komeili

Credits
Country of Origin

Iran

Year

2024

Language

In Farsi with English subtitles

Film Contact
18+
85 min
Cinemas of Asia Drama

Book Tickets

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Credits & Director

Producer

Arash Shojaie, Bijan Mirbagheri

Screenwriter

Mohammad Esmaeili, Payman Esmaeili

Cinematography

Masoud Amiri Tirani

Editor

Bijan Mirbagheri

Production Design

Hamed Aslani

Original Music

Mahdi Panahi

Mohammad Esmaeili headshot

Mohammad Esmaeili محمد اسماعیلی

Born in 1983, Mohammad Esmaeili started his career as a professional photographer in 2005 and became the photo manager of Cinema Weekly in 2008, then Film Monthly from 2011 to 2015. He made his first short film NEWZIF in 2011, followed by three subsequent short films. The Bora (2025) is his first feature.

Filmography: Newzeif (2011); Hidden Army (2013); Operation 747 (2017); Short Wave (2018)

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