| Killing the Eunuch Khan | |
| Director: | Abed Abest |
| Producer: | Shahrzad Seifi |
| Music: | Christophe Rezai |
| Cinematography: | Hamid Khozouie Abyane |
| Editing: | Hayedeh Safiyari |
| Distributor: | Iranian Independent |
| Runtime: | 110 minutes |
| Country: | Iran |
| Language: | Persian, Arabic |
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 is Abest's second feature.[9]
| Year | Country | City | Festival | Section | Nominated | Result | Event Date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Estonia | Tallinn (World Premiere) | Best Film-Official Selection [10] | Abed Abest | 12-28 Nov 2021 | |||
| 2021 | India | Panaji | International Film Festival of India | ICFT-UNESCO Gandhi Medal | Abed Abest | 20-28 Nov 2021 | ||
| 2022 | USA | Park City, Utah | Slamdance Film Festival | Grand Jury Award-Breakouts Section [11] | Abed Abest | 27 Jan – 6 Feb 2022 | ||
| 2022 | India | Thiruvananthapuram | 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 | 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 |
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]