Cameraman - a Short Film by Arsalan Motavali

Masoud and his family left Iran a year ago, but that milestone is only making him more angsty. Tired of waiting around, he’s determined to start actually building a new life in the UK. For his directorial debut, Cameraman, Arsalan Motavali crafts a story built from his parents’ real experience in the late ’90s. The authenticity at the core of the project is what gives it such a universal dimension, with Motavali delivering a very tender and engaging slice-of-life drama, nuanced in its storytelling and emotionally compelling throughout.

“It was important for me to make a film that focused on the human, everyday impact of immigration”

“The idea for this film stems from a true story that happened to my parents when they first immigrated from Iran to the UK”, Motavali shared with us, before explaining that incorporating his family’s home video from Iran into Cameraman felt essential. Bridging the past and the present of his characters, they connect what they left behind with their hopes and dreams for the future, while also increasing the authentic feel of the short. “The tape brought the specificity of Iranian culture I desired and revealed something universal: the delicate balancing act of following one’s dreams and facing one’s reality”, he added. Although the footage was not originally included in the script, it was in post-production that Motavali and his team found an organic way of including it, with the goal of capturing the depth of nostalgia – “both the tenderness of it and the brutality of it.” The fact that the protagonist Masoud is himself a cameraman only works to enhance this aspect of the narrative.

The concept of time passing is present throughout the film, from reflections on the past to looking towards the future. For Masoud, the anniversary of his family’s arrival in the UK triggers these feelings. It is this moment that Motavali captures with impressive sincerity: the quietly undramatic realization that while you may be eager to begin a new life, building one can be painfully slow without a community or support system around you. “It was important for me to make a film that focused on the human, everyday impact of immigration”, the writer/director confessed. Adding that he “wanted to focus on the day-to-day experience”.

Sia Alipour stars as Masoud in Cameraman

At its heart, this is a film about hope, and is filled with a sense of warmth. The family unit is captured with love, the color palette, the placement of the camera and the framing all working together to create a sense of unity and support. The chemistry between the actors makes them instantly likeable, and when the situation with the camera creates tension between them, we feel for all of them rather than taking sides. As Motavali explained, “In my experience the difficulty of immigration comes from the small details. The things nobody talks about: how do you pursue your dreams with no support? How do you feel at home with no community?” It is precisely this perspective that makes the film so poignant.

Before landing online, Cameraman enjoyed a successful festival run with notable selections at the BFI London Film Festival and the Izmir International Short Film Festival. Motavali is currently working on several new short projects. One explores themes of code-switching and gentrification, with the other is an adaptation of a short story. He is also in the early development stage on a number of feature film ideas.

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