Beijing-based sales company Radiance has assumed international sales for Into the Jaws of the Ogre, Iranian-French director Martha Karampour’s feature documentary debut, which will be screened in the ACID sidebar of the Cannes Film Festival.
The film centers on Karampour’s reunion with his brother Siarvash, a former vocalist in an underground Iranian punk band who is currently in exile in New York. As the two travel through New York City and along the highways of the United States, memories of Tehran emerge, including footage Karanpur shot under censorship in Iran, reminiscences of his brother’s childhood, and the story of the New York murders of Shiarvash band The Yellow Dogs. As Siarvash becomes increasingly drawn into the fictional character, the documentary traces the strained brotherly relationships formed by the displacement, against the backdrop of rising tensions between Iran and the United States, with personal consequences for both subjects.
Into the Jaws of the Ogre is produced by Mathilde Lazaimou of Bilboke Films and supported by Tenku, Mediapart, Periphery, CNC, Procilep et Angoa, Ciclic, SCAM and Institut Français. The project was developed and presented at Paris Dock WIP, Moulin d’Ande, Massa Mare, Eurodock and WIPP Festival.
Karanpur studied sociology at EHESS and film at the Sorbonne Nouvelle, before training at the École Documentaire de Lusus. She works as a sound and camera operator, leads film workshops, and actively participates in festival programming. In 2024, she starred in the stage adaptation of Abbas Kiarostami’s “Ten” directed by Gilda Chahaveldi.
Ridianth has won international titles and built a strong track record. Recent films include Imago, directed by Deni Umar Pitsaev, which won the GoldenEye for Best Documentary at last year’s Cannes Film Festival, and Lost Land, directed by Akio Fujimoto, which won the Special Jury Prize at Venice Horizons and Best Picture at the Red Sea Film Festival. The company’s current lineup also includes “Tristan Forever” by Tobias Nel and Laurent Bonard, which was selected for the Berlinale Panorama.
