Seaad Amini
Three young people meet at a turning point in their lives and decide to travel the next stretch of road together. Nafas Amigh, known in English as Deep Breath, is Parviz Shahbazi's portrait of that encounter, set in Tehran at the end of the 1990s.
| Original title | نفس عمیق |
|---|---|
| Latin title | Nafas Amigh |
| English title | Deep Breath |
| Year | 2003 |
| Country | Iran |
| Language | Persian |
| Genres | Drama |
| Director | Parviz Shahbazi |
| Writer | Parviz Shahbazi |
| Producer | Amir Samavati |
| Iran release | 24 September 2003 (2 Mehr 1382) |
Three Lives Crossing in Late-1990s Tehran
The story is deliberately simple. Rather than building a complicated plot, Shahbazi follows his three main characters as their paths meet and they begin to share their days. The film is interested in mood, in friendship and in the restlessness of young people in the capital at that time, and it lets the city and the characters' conversations carry the drama.
A small cast of three
Mansour Shahbazi, Maryam Palizban and Saeed Amini play the three leads. The small cast keeps the focus close on the characters and on how they affect one another.
Parviz Shahbazi's Third Feature
Deep Breath came after Shahbazi's earlier films Traveller from the South and Whisper (Najva). He wrote, directed and edited the film himself. Amir Samavati produced, Ali Loghmani was director of photography and Mehrdad Palizban composed the music. The film was made in 1381 (2002) and first shown at the 21st Fajr Film Festival before its release in Iranian cinemas in Mehr 1382.
From Fajr to Busan, Turin and Hamburg
At Fajr the film was nominated for best film, best director, best actress and in the art and experience section. It won the Crystal Simorgh for best screenplay. Abroad it collected the FIPRESCI prize at the Pusan (Busan) International Film Festival in 2003, a special jury prize at the Turin International Film Festival in 2004 and a gold award in Hamburg the same year. Iran chose it as its official submission for the Best Foreign Language Film Academy Award.
A Key Title of Early-2000s Iranian Cinema
The film belongs to a wave of Iranian films that looked at the lives of urban young people rather than at village stories or war. Its festival success brought Shahbazi wider international recognition. For viewers interested in how Iranian cinema portrayed Tehran's younger generation in that period, Deep Breath is an important reference point.
Deep Breath: Common Questions
Who wrote and directed Nafas Amigh?
Parviz Shahbazi wrote, directed and edited the film.
Who are the main actors?
Mansour Shahbazi, Maryam Palizban and Saeed Amini.
Which awards did it win?
The Crystal Simorgh for best screenplay at Fajr, the FIPRESCI prize in Busan, a special jury prize in Turin and a gold award in Hamburg.
Was it submitted for an Oscar?
Yes, it was Iran's official submission for Best Foreign Language Film.
Nafas Amigh is a quiet, carefully observed drama that remains one of Shahbazi's best-known works.