Every so often, a film truly becomes banned, typically due to content that is so violent and/or sexual that censors are scared to allow the film to be shown to the public. Back in the late-‘70s, Iran banned the film “Chess of the Wind” not because it is so racy that it was a danger to the public, but instead because the film dared to show people morally unscrupulous people during a time when the theocratic country was scared of showing such three-dimensional people. Now, decades later, the lost film from revolutionary filmmaker Mohammad Reza Aslani is finally getting the release it deserves, in 4K no less.
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After debuting at film festivals in 2020, the 4K restoration of Aslani’s long lost film, “Chess of the Wind,” is finally hitting theaters, decades after it was originally intended to. And with the debut coming later this month, we’re thrilled to give our readers a chance to look at an exclusive trailer for the film.
As seen in the trailer, “Chess of the Wind” is a beautiful, murder mystery film that plays out in a mansion, as folks go to murderous means to secure an inheritance. At the time of its debut, the film was shown at one film festival in Tehran but was immediately locked away by the government. Over the decades, bootleg VHS versions of the film were passed around, but it wasn’t until Aslani’s son found the original film negative at an antique shop that Martin Scorsese’s World Cinema Project was able to begin the 4K restoration process. Now, cinephiles from around the globe will get the opportunity to enjoy the debut feature from Aslani.
The 4K restoration of “Chess of the Wind” will debut at Film Forum in New York City on October 29. You can watch the exclusive trailer below.
Here’s the synopsis:
In an ornate, candlelit mansion in 1920s Tehran, the heirs to a family fortune vie for control of their matriarch’s estate — erupting in a ferocious final act.