Author: Hamed Sarrafi

Hamed Sarrafi is a London-based cinephile, freelance film critic, and journalist with over 25 years of experience contributing to Iranian newspapers and magazines through original features and translated articles. A former member of the International Federation of Journalists, Sarrafi has earned recognition over the past eight years as the founder and host of the Farsi-language podcast Abadiat Va Yek Rooz (Eternity and a Day). On the podcast, he reviews movies and film festivals, while also conducting insightful interviews with filmmakers and fellow critics. He has a particular passion for engaging with emerging directors, exploring their social and political perspectives through in-depth conversations. Sarrafi's interviews and writings have appeared in esteemed publications such as Senses of Cinema, Cineaste, and Notebook (MUBI). Additionally, he maintains a Farsi-language film blog, accessible at hsarrafi.com.

I think to myself, with all this impatience, weariness, and relentless questioning of everything, it wouldn’t be surprising if, one day, even lunar travel, solar system exploration, and humanity’s greatest achievements became utterly meaningless to me. Perhaps it’s the same old feverish refrain of “Let’s not speak ill of the moon if we have a fever.” Except, of course, there is no moon—it’s merely the oppressive synergy of the films’ atmospheres and the bitter realities outside. This very exhaustion might explain my deep empathy and solidarity with Mike Leigh’s Hard Truths. Leigh’s films—no matter their theme or tone—have always been…

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What am I supposed to say to her? What if the future truly resembles the grim vision of 2073? How could I ever look her in the eye? I won’t be here fifty years from now, but will I not still bear the weight of her resentment—her curse—when she surveys the broken world we left behind? 2073, directed by Asif Kapadia, represents a bold departure for a filmmaker renowned for his incisive documentaries on figures like Ayrton Senna, Diego Maradona, and Amy Winehouse. With 2073, Kapadia steps into uncharted territory, crafting a hybrid of documentary and narrative storytelling deeply inspired…

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