Killing the Eunuch Khan

Killing the Eunuch Khan (Persian: کشتن خواجه) is a 2021 Iranian sci-fi - crime film directed by Abed Abest and produced by Shahrzad Seifi.[1] The film set in 1980s in the backdrop of Iran–Iraq War follows a serial killer, who uses his victims to kill more victims.[2] It was premiered in the 25th edition of the Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival (2021).[3] It was also selected to compete in ICFT UNESCO Gandhi Medal at the 52nd International Film Festival of India, where it was screened in November 2021.[4] It also premiered in Slamdance Film Festival in January 2022,[5][6] and was chosen as the Grand Jury Winner of the Breakouts Features.[7][8]

Killing the Eunuch Khan
Directed byAbed Abest
Written byAbed Abest
Produced byShahrzad Seifi
CinematographyHamid Khozouie Abyane
Edited byHayedeh Safiyari
Music byChristophe Rezai
Distributed byIranian Independent
Running time
110 minutes
CountryIran
LanguagesPersian , Arabic

Production

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Killing the Eunuch Khan is Abest's second feature.[9]

Accolades

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Year Country City Festival Section Nominated Result Event Date
2021 Estonia Tallinn (World Premiere) Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival Best Film-Official Selection [3][10] Abed Abest Nominated 12-28 Nov 2021
2021 India Panaji International Film Festival of India ICFT-UNESCO Gandhi Medal [4] Abed Abest Nominated 20-28 Nov 2021
2022 USA Park City, Utah Slamdance Film Festival Grand Jury Award-Breakouts Section [7][11] Abed Abest Won 27 Jan – 6 Feb 2022
2022 India Thiruvananthapuram International Film Festival of Kerala World Cinema [12] non-competitive 18–22 March 2022
2022 Taiwan Taipei Golden Horse Film Festival and Awards (TGHFF) The Fantasy of the Year [13] non-competitive 8–17 April 2022
2022 Brazil Porto Alegre International Fantastic Film Festival of Porto Alegre (FANTASPOA) Best Film [14] Abed Abest Nominated 15 April – 1 May 2022
2022 Romania Cluj-Napoca Transilvania International Film Festival (TIFF) No Limit [15] non-competitive 17 – 26 June 2022
2022 Australia Perth Revelation Perth International Film Festival Feature Narrative [16] 7–17 July 2022

Reception

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The film received very positive reviews.[17]

FilmThreat, for example, found that, "The film is an artistic extravaganza with a genre-bending structure and breathtaking imagery. Seldom have the horrors of war have been so well shown in such a spectacularly surreal way."[18] This artistic surreal imagery was also noted in a review in Dmovies but iwith a more nuanced assessment: "The eventual question is whether Abest is pushing at the boundaries to expand the potential of the film form, or has he been seduced by the dream aesthetic to his detriment? The beauty of David Lynch’s surreal, dreamlike and puzzle box films, is that there were ideas and themes, but here there seems to be none. It’s a dream that could only seem real if we were the dreamer, but we’re not. A deeply subjective work, Killing the Eunuch Khan in moments showcases a seductive aesthetic, but its lack of substance leaves it a challenging film to engage with, beyond superficial admiration."[19]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Killing the Eunuch Khan is one of the 6 films of the official selection in 25th PÖFF". Poff. Retrieved 19 Sep 2021.
  2. ^ Talbot-Haynes, Michael (2 Feb 2022). "Killing the Eunuch Khan review by Film Threat". Film Threat. Retrieved 9 Feb 2022.
  3. ^ a b Abbatescianni, Davide (16 September 2021). "Killing the Eunuch Khan in Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival". Cineuropa. Retrieved 19 September 2021.
  4. ^ a b Syed, Siraj. "Blood flows through the streets in Killing of the Eunuch Khan". Film Festivals. Retrieved 6 January 2022.
  5. ^ "Slamdance festival announcements". Slamdance. Retrieved 6 January 2022.
  6. ^ Mobarak, Jared (2 Feb 2022). "Killing the Eunuch khan, a visceral drama set during Iran-Iraq war". The Film Stage. Retrieved 9 Feb 2022.
  7. ^ a b Chapman, Wilson (4 Feb 2022). "2022 Slamdance Award Winners". Variety. Retrieved 9 Feb 2022.
  8. ^ Lambert, Harper (4 Feb 2022). "Slamdance Film Festival Award Winners". THE WRAP. Retrieved 9 Feb 2022.
  9. ^ "Killing The Eunuch Khan". Asian Film Festival Barcelona (in Catalan). Retrieved 2023-10-23.
  10. ^ "Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival picks "Killing the Eunuch Khan", "The Fourth Wall"". Tehran Times. 2021-10-25. Retrieved 2023-10-23.
  11. ^ ""Killing the Eunuch Khan" wins award at Slamdance Film Festival". Tehran Times. 2022-02-06. Retrieved 2023-10-23.
  12. ^ "Killing the Eunuch Khan". IFFK. Retrieved 25 April 2022.
  13. ^ "12 Films you shouldn't miss at the Golden Horse Fantastic Film Festival 2022". Asian Film Festivals. 9 April 2022. Retrieved 25 April 2022.
  14. ^ James, Jonathan (23 March 2022). "FANTASPOA 2022 Returns to the Cinema! First Wave of Titles! Poster Art!". Daily Dead. Retrieved 25 April 2022.
  15. ^ "Killing the Eunuch Khan at TIFF.21". tiff.ro.[permanent dead link]
  16. ^ "Killing the Eunuch Khan at Revelation Perth International Film Festival". revelationfilmfest.org.
  17. ^ "Killing the Eunuch Khan (2021) – Hich Film". Retrieved 2023-10-23.
  18. ^ "Killing The Eunuch Khan Featured, Reviews Film Threat". 2022-02-02. Retrieved 2023-10-23.
  19. ^ "Killing the Eunuch Khan - Film Review". DMovies. 2021-11-27. Retrieved 2023-10-23.
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