In recent weeks, the Islamic Republic appears to be turning inward again, blocking communications and retreating into repression after Iran’s supreme leader made an unusual admission that thousands of protesters have been killed in a nationwide crackdown.
For Ali Khamenei, who is in his 40th year on the throne, this stance reflects a long-held logic of isolation, control, and survival through force. But the scale of the unrest and the regime’s own admission of this weekend’s mass violence have given new urgency to questions about its sustainability.
Canadian-based Iranian filmmaker Abdulreza Kahani makes his latest feature, Empty Heaven, in an atmosphere of silence, disconnection, and institutional paralysis. The film is a dark comedy that imagines what happens when institutions of power suddenly become unresponsive, even to the people they serve.
Set in a moment of apparent institutional collapse, the film centers on a group of Islamic Republic-affiliated operatives operating in Canada who suddenly find themselves cut off from Tehran. They possess invaluable military-grade components and are left in limbo as sanctions tighten and all lines of communication with Iran are disrupted.
“None of the institutions are responding. The system seems to be collapsing,” Kahani explained. “Faced with this sudden vacuum of power and purpose, the agents decide to sell the components themselves and split the money, hoping to secure a comfortable living and disappear from the system altogether.”
The film, which was shot from mid-November to January 10, is currently in post-production, with Kahani aiming to complete the first cut in time for submission to major international film festivals.
The director described his country’s current moment as a decisive rupture. “Yes, this time the protests feel different. For me, the real turning point was the murder of Mahsa Amini. At that moment, the regime effectively lost its legitimacy. Then something fundamental changed in Iran, and society crossed a line of no return. Since then, the Islamic Republic has remained in power not by agreement but by intensifying repression. Even if the protests are suppressed, they remain and do not disappear. ”
Abdulreza Kahani Credit: Pouya Razavi
“While developing ‘Empty Heaven,’ I kept asking myself what kind of movie I felt needed at this particular moment,” Kahani told Variety. The director, whose previous film Mortician won the Sean Connery Award for Best Picture at the Edinburgh International Film Festival and was praised by Variety for its “startling to subversive approach”, said many of the themes he had previously explored no longer align with the current historical moment.
“As an Iranian filmmaker who openly opposes the Islamic Republic and has been forced to live and work outside Iran for many years due to censorship and banning of my films, I felt that many of the themes, while important, were no longer in line with the current historical moment.
“I was seeing clear signs of a possible collapse of the regime and felt that the film should be able to at least somewhat predict what was going to happen. That led me to develop the story around the possible collapse of the Islamic Republic, while maintaining the darkly comical tone of my recent work,” he added.
The project continues Kahani’s commitment to what he calls “one-man cinema.” “With this approach, apart from the actors on screen, I am responsible for writing, directing, filming, recording, and the entire production,” he explained. “This is not a budget-driven choice, but a creative choice. It allows for complete independence, focus, and accountability for the work itself.”
That independence was key to the film’s financing. “I intentionally did not seek outside funding and am using the £50,000 ($67,000) Sean Connery Award I received in Edinburgh to make ‘Empty Heaven,'” Kahani said. “This is essential to the film’s political clarity and creative freedom.”
Credit: Pouya Razavi
“After winning this award, ‘Mortician’ was screened at many major international film festivals and continues to be screened. It gave me even more courage to pursue this path,” he added.
For “Empty Heaven,” Kahani assembled a cast of actors who have been training in several Canadian cities since July. The cast includes Nima Sadr, who starred in Kahani’s previous two films, who will reprise her leading role, along with Poya Razavi, Hamidreza Hosseini, and Haniyeh Bargaei. The film was shot across the country in Montreal, Calgary, Toronto, and Ottawa.
“I am happy to be working on a project that deals with this subject at this special time,” he said. “I hope that I can make some small contribution to the dialogue around freedom and responsibility, not only for Iranians but also for a broader global audience.”
