Skip to main content
The Bora film image; concerned man in a room full of papers

The Bora

Sardbad

Vanguard

This event has passed

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

This event has passed.

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)

Missing VIFF? Check out what's playing at the VIFF Centre

Romería

Dir. Carla Simón
112 min

An orphan from a young age, 18-year-old Marina intends to pursue a university scholarship. The application, however, requires the signatures of her paternal grandparents, compelling her to embark on a pilgrimage and seek out the family she has never met.

VIFF Centre - VIFF Cinema VIFF Centre - Lochmaddy Studio Theatre

The Crying Game

Dir. Neil Jordan
112 min

Notwithstanding its famous twist, Neil Jordan's moody thriller works differently on a second viewing, and hits different in 2026, with its rich and "problematic" stew of identity politics, love, violence and desire.

VIFF Centre - Lochmaddy Studio Theatre VIFF Centre - VIFF Cinema

Orlando

Dir. Sally Potter
94 min

Sally Potter's 1992 playful and swoon-worthy masterpiece Orlando, the filmmaker's inspired take on Virginia Woolf's novel, stars Tilda Swinton as the Elizabethan nobleman who lives for centuries, first as a man, and latterly as a woman...

VIFF Centre - VIFF Cinema

One False Move

Dir. Carl Franklin
105 min

Billy Bob Thornton and his partners in crime (Michael Beach, and Cynda Williams) hightail it out of Los Angeles with a trunk-ful of dope, but drive into a world of trouble. This unjustly forgotten thriller will keep you on your toes.

VIFF Centre - Lochmaddy Studio Theatre

Basic Instinct

Dir. Paul Verhoeven
127 min

Sharon Stone became a big star on the back of Paul Verhoeven's slippery erotic thriller, a twisted murder mystery in which the homicide detective (Michael Douglas) can be read as the real villain — and the fall guy.

VIFF Centre - VIFF Cinema

Ask E. Jean

Dir. Ivy Meeropol
91 min

An inspiring and engaging portrait of E. Jean Carroll, the trailblazing journalist, author and advice columnist who stood up to power and beat Donald Trump in court, twice.

VIFF Centre - Lochmaddy Studio Theatre