The press conference for the movie “Alligator Blood” was held on Friday, February 2, 2024 after the screening of the film. The movie was the first one shown on the second day of the 42nd Fajr International Film Festival (FIFF), according to the public relations office of the 42nd FIFF.
This meeting was attended by Javad Ezzati, the director; Kamran Hejazi, the producer; Abbas Jamshidifar, Shabnam Ghorbani, Behzad Khalaj, Elnaz Habibi, the cast; Amir Aghaee Hosseini, the sound recorder; Masoud Sekhavatdoust, the composer; Babak Karimi, the set designer; Arta Mahan, the costume designer; and Pedram Afshar, the scriptwriter.
At the beginning of this session the late Farima Farjami was commemorated.
Ezzati, the director, said in response to the first question about commercial patterns in making this film: “I wanted to make an audience-friendly film.”
He also said that “on the first day when the cast and crew gathered, I said I wanted to make this film in a way that it would have a kind of suggestion, even a small one, for cinema in every issue.”
“It was the first time I watched this film completely in the cinema and I think it definitely has suggestions in cinematography, editing, set design, etc.”
Habibi, the actress of “Alligator Blood”, talked about her experience of working with Ezzati as the director. “It was not strange for me because I have worked with Mr. Ezzati before.”
Another actor of “Alligator Blood”, Jamshidifar, said that he had the experience of working with Mr. Ezzati more than twenty years ago in the Fajr Theater Festival, adding that he had acted in three works directed by Ezzati.
Ghorbani, the actress of “Alligator Blood”, said in the presser that she was happy to work with the group, adding that one of her biggest challenges in this film was acting alongside Mr. Jamshidifar.
Khalaj, actor of the film, said, “It’s very difficult to act in comedy, but I wasn’t worried about acting in this film because I knew Javad Ezzati was leading the work.”
Ezzati, the director of the film, said he loved the essence of Iranian cinema and it’s a shame for this magnificent cinema to be looked down on. “Above all, I tried to reconcile the audience with cinema. I brought my own perspective on comedy and cinema and I didn’t intend to compare it with other comedies. ”Answering a question about the message of the movie, he said, “Be happy!”
Explaining about the meaning of the phrase “Alligator Blood”, he said it is a term referring to the people who take big risks with empty pockets.
Afshar, the scriptwriter of this film, said that he owed his presence in this project to the trust of Mr. Ezzati and Hejazi. “The movie is totally loyal to the genre, which is action-comedy.”
He also said, “To be honest, the screenplay was definitely promoted by Mr. Ezzati’s directorship. The screenplay had difficult scenes that first-time film director should not have managed.
Ezzati also answered a question about the weakness in the screenplay in the final third of the film and whether any changes will take place after the festival. “A year ago, I wanted to shoot another screenplay that was not a comedy… the truth is that everyone wants to improve their work to the very last possible moment … Maybe we re-edit it again for the public screening, but it won’t change much.”
Sekhavatdoust, the composer of the film , said he tried not to intensify the humorous aspect of the work’s music because there were two approaches in the film: character comedy and situational comedy.
“The film was action-packed, so the music had to have a good rhythm.”
About using famous actors in short roles, Ezzati said, “Those roles were important.”
He also added, “Once a dear friend of mine, advised me to gather my friends around me for my first film. I did so, and got a positive response.”
‘Alligator Blood” was such a huge success and so well-received by the audience that it is supposed to have a second screening at Heravi Center Cineplex at 23:00.
Alligator Blood Came to Reconnect People with Cinema
