TEHRAN – The restored version of the film “Unruled Paper,” written and directed by the late Nasser Taghvai, will be screened for the first time at the Cinema Museum of Iran.

This version of the film, restored by the National Film Archive of Iran, will be premiered on Tuesday at 5 p.m. and will be analyzed and discussed by film critic and writer Saeed Ghotbizadeh, IRNA reported.

The discussion will delve into the various dimensions of Taghvai’s cinematic vision, his narrative style, and the film’s significance within his artistic career.

“Unruled Paper” is a 2002 film based on an original script by Nasser Taghvai and Minoo Farshchi.

The principal roles in the film are played by Khosrow Shakibai (Jahangir) and Hadyeh Tehrani (Roya). Roya, mother of two children, tries to follow her dream of becoming a writer, while her life and relationship with her shady architect husband, Jahangir, get into some serious drama, which leads to a question if everything is really what it seems to be.

For his role, Khosrow Shakibai was nominated for the Crystal Simorgh Award, in the category of men, at the 20th Fajr International Film Festival in 2002, received the second-Best Actor of the Year Award from Writers and Critics, in the category of men, in 2002, and was awarded the Golden Tablet from Iran Actor Site in 2003. 

Hadyeh Tehrani's acting in this film has been praised by many critics as equally superb and laudable. For her role, she was nominated for the Crystal Simorgh Award, in the category of women, at the 20th Fajr International Film Festival in 2002. 

The title of the film is derived from a remark by Roya that she never was able to write neatly on ruled paper, but this changed when she wrote on unruled paper, thus giving voice to the blessings of freedom.

The film received critical acclaim in Iran: Various critics have described the movie's dialogues as pithy and thought-provoking, and the language used as both natural and powerful. The quality of the acting and directing have both been praised as well. 

Taghvai attempts to pay attention to the most minute details of the film. The dialogues of the film are replete with terse remarks and critical commentaries on the contemporary political and social conditions of the country.

SS/SAB