iHeart Podcast Awards 2024
Selected for the twenty second Hong Kong Asian Film Finance Forum, The Echo of the Leopard showcases the mixed abilities of Hanna Djalali and Moeinouddin Djalali, who’re primarily based in each Ukraine and Iran.
The filmmakers are graduates of the Kiev State IK Karpenko-Kali Theater, Film and Television University. They have beforehand collaborated on a number of acclaimed brief movies, together with “After” (2016), “Interview” (2020), and “Freaking Awesome Life” (2022).
In this film set in Iran, a collection of mysterious disappearances of feminine hikers happen within the mountains. While police examine a serial killer, native residents suspect a legendary leopard-like creature to be chargeable for the disappearances. Bahman, a forest ranger whose father struggles with reminiscence loss, actively prevents locals from looking leopards. Years cross, and new case proof emerges exhibiting that Bahman’s father made some remarks to her nurse in regards to the potential burial website for the sufferer. A journalist theorizes that his father could have inadvertently divulged essential data, and an article linking his father to the incident will throw Bahman’s life into turmoil.
“Animals typically fall sufferer to human superstition, false beliefs, or greed, particularly in small communities with low ranges of schooling. This offers us the chance to… This gave me the inspiration to make a movie that highlights the ignorance behind such animal abuse. We determined to include mystical components to boost the ambiance,” the Jalaris informed Variety.
“The subject revolves round an absence of mutual understanding between people, an inclination to carry somebody accountable solely primarily based on their relationship to the true perpetrator. In sure conditions, like in our story, this could result in a person being ostracized from his or her group and finally result in the destruction of his or her life,” the Jalalis added.
The ongoing battle in Ukraine types a powerful backdrop for the occasions of the movie. “Originally, we have been planning to set the film’s timeline within the early 2000s. However, we not too long ago determined to maneuver it to 1994, which is the yr Ukraine gave up its nuclear weapons and obtained safety in return. This choice permits us to include tv and radio information updates on this essential occasion, thereby exposing our viewers to essential points of the background behind the present Ukraine warfare. It might be revealed,” the Jalali faction mentioned.
The movie’s funds was $529,000, of which $77,000 was raised. Jalaris goals to draw co-producers, distributors and financiers from Hong Kong.
Produced by Moeinoddin Jalali and Hanna Jalali