کنعان | Kanaan (2008)

Mina was once Morteza's student. After ten years of marriage, she decides to separate from him and go to Canada to continue her studies. Morteza is unhappy with her decision and puts all his effort into changing her mind, until one day he learns that Mina has already told Aziz, his ailing mother, about their divorce. Kanaan, released in English as Canaan, is an Iranian drama directed by Mani Haghighi and written by Asghar Farhadi and Mani Haghighi.

A Marriage on the Edge of Divorce

The film follows a portion of the lives of Mina and Morteza during a hard time, as their marriage reaches the point of divorce. It is an emotional drama about two people who know each other well, and about what happens when one of them has already decided to leave.

Mina and Morteza

Taraneh Alidoosti plays Mina and Mohammadreza Foroutan plays Morteza. Bahram Radan, Afsaneh Bayegan and Hasan Majuni are also in the cast.

Inspired by Alice Munro

The film credits the Canadian writer Alice Munro for its original story and is linked to her short story Post and Beam, first published in 2000. Haghighi has said that the film was inspired by the story rather than being a direct adaptation of it.

Haghighi and Farhadi

Kanaan brought together two filmmakers on the script: Mani Haghighi, who directed, and Asghar Farhadi, who co-wrote the screenplay with him. It was produced in 1386 in the Iranian calendar by Mostafa Shayesteh, with Hedayat Film as studio and distributor.

Release and crew

The film was released in Iran on 26 Bahman 1386 (15 February 2008). Christophe Rezai composed the music, Hassan Karimi was the cinematographer and Mastaneh Mohajer edited the film.

Kanaan FAQ

Watch Kanaan on Pardeh for an intimate drama about a marriage at its turning point.