TEHRAN -- Mani Haqiqi is very determined not to say anything about the title of his latest film “Canaan” in order to make filmgoers think about it.

He and his film crew also declined to explain the weird name of the film during a review session held for the film in Tehran on Tuesday on the sidelines of the Fajr International Film Festival.
“The name of a film should raise a question in the minds of the audience,” Haqiqi said.
“It is very interesting for me if the audience thinks about this title,” he added.
The film, which has no obvious reference to the name of Canaan, is about a couple, Mina and Morteza, who plan to divorce, but then Mina’s elder sister, who has a great influence on Mina’s decision, returns home from a long journey.
A story by Canadian bestselling author Mary Alice Monroe in the New Yorker magazine inspired Haqiqi to make the film. However, he doesn’t regard it as an adaptation of the story.
“The story provided the spark for the decision, but it should not be considered an adaptation of the story because the film and the story have very little in common,” Haqiqi noted.
The screenplay was penned by the writing duo Haqiqi and Asghar Farhadi. They had previously written the screenplay for the acclaimed film “Fireworks Wednesday”, which was directed by Farhadi.
“Farhadi stayed by my side during the long and hard days of production. Now, the outcome fully satisfies me,” Haqiqi noted.
Leila Hatami -- who usually plays calm and innocent characters -- was originally cast for the role of Mina but she was replaced with starlet Taraneh Alidusti due to her pregnancy.
Bahram Radan, Mohammadreza Forutan, and Afsaneh Bayegan are the other main members of the cast.
Haqiqi’s credits include “Abadan” and “Men at Work”, with the latter bringing him several international accolades.