سرخ‌پوست | The Warden / Sorkhpoost (2019)

Southern Iran, 1967. An old prison has to be emptied because the city's airport is expanding, and the warden, Major Nemat Jahed, has just been told he is about to be promoted. Then a call comes in: one prisoner is missing. Sorkh Poost, known in English as The Warden, is Nima Javidi's mystery drama about the hours that follow.

An Evacuation, a Promotion and One Missing Prisoner

The inmates have been transferred, and Jahed and his men are due to leave by evening. But Ahmad, the prisoner nicknamed "the Indian" (Sorkh Poost), was not among those moved. Jahed becomes convinced he is still hiding somewhere inside. At the same time Sousan Karimi, a social worker who assists the prisoners, tells him that Ahmad's sentence was suspiciously changed from imprisonment to death. With demolition crews waiting, Ahmad's wife pleading for her husband's life and his promotion at stake, Jahed searches every corner of the prison.

A ticking clock

The whole film takes place within that one day, and the countdown to the prison's demolition gives it the tension of a thriller.

Navid Mohammadzadeh as Major Jahed

Navid Mohammadzadeh plays the warden, a man caught between ambition and conscience. Parinaz Izadyar plays Sousan Karimi. Setareh Pesyani is Ahmad's wife and Atila Pesyani is the airport manager. Director Mani Haghighi appears as Jahed's superior, Colonel Modabber, with Amir Keyvan Masoumi, Habib Rezaei, Yadollah Shademani and Ali Mardaneh also in the cast.

Nima Javidi After Melbourne

Javidi wrote and directed the film, his second feature after Melbourne. Majid Motalebi produced, Hooman Behmanesh shot it, Emad Khodabakhsh edited and Ramin Kousha composed the score.

Fajr Special Jury Prize and Hafez Awards

The Warden premiered at the 37th Fajr Film Festival on 1 February 2019 and won the festival's Special Jury Prize. It opened in Iranian cinemas on 5 June 2019. At the 20th Hafez Awards it won best film, best director, best actor for Mohammadzadeh and best actress for Izadyar.

A Hit With Audiences and Award Juries

The film combined a period setting, a single location and a strong central performance, and audiences responded: it ranks among the best-selling non-comedy films in Iranian cinema. Mohammadzadeh's morally conflicted warden also won him best actor at the Hafez Awards and at the Iranian Cinema Celebration.

The Warden FAQ