Friday, 30 October 2026 at 9 pm
Directed by: Ana Lily Amirpour
USA, 2014, b/w, 101'
Bad City, Iran. Young worker Arash cares for his father, a heroin addict, and they are both abused by the ruthless pimp and drug dealer Saeed, to whom Arash's father owes money. Saeed therefore impounds Arash's car, and Arash steals diamond earrings from Shaydah, a wealthy woman he works hard for. Night falls and Saeed passes a strange young woman dressed in a chador on the street.
She persuades him to take her to his flat, where she kills him with her vampire fangs. Then Arash arrives at the flat, hoping to buy back his car with Saeed's earrings, but finds the pimp-dealer dead. He takes his car keys, as well as Saeed's box of drugs and money. His intention is to sell the drugs so he can leave his job with Shaydah and strike out on his own…
A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night was advertised as the first Iranian vampire western, and it is clear that the term “western” is being taken very broadly, as the action takes place in modern-day Iran. It is actually an extensively extended version of the eponymous eight-minute short film by the same author, Ana Lily Amirpour, born and raised in England and of Iranian origin, from 2011. The feature-length A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night was filmed in Persian in an American independent production in California, and premiered at the renowned Sundance Film Festival. Critics were impressed by the film's originality and its bleak atmosphere, largely achieved through its fascinating black-and-white cinematography, and also noted the complexity of the characters. The film was nominated for America's top indie award, the Independent Spirit Award, in the categories of Best First Feature and Best Cinematography, as well as for the writer for the Someone to Watch Award. In a poll by the prestigious Village Voice, it shared second place on the list of the year's best feature debuts, just behind Jennifer Kent's cult horror film Babadook.
Commentatry by: Damir Radić
Tickets for the screening on 30 October 2026 at 9 pm can be purchased online HERE, as well as at the Surogatkino KIC box office one hour before the start.