The film “The Writer is Dead”, directed and produced by Shahab Hosseini and written by Arash Abbasi, marks Hosseini’s first directorial experience outside Iran and his third directorial effort after “Resident of the Middle Floor” and “Residents of Nowhere”. In Hosseini’s cinematic adaptation of Arash Abbasi’s play “The Writer is Dead”, which previously enjoyed successful stage performances, American actors Gia Mora and James Wagner play the two main characters. Their roles were dubbed by Zohreh Shokufandeh and Manoochehr Valizadeh in Persian for public release in Iran. This film was made in the United States and has had successful appearances at numerous international festivals.

In this adaptation, Hosseini avoids theatrical settings and places the burden of character development on dialogue, utilizing the power of cinema to create impactful scenes. The film tells the story of a famous actress aspiring to direct, and a playwright who has written a script for her. In a lengthy, intimate meeting, they engage in a tense psychological game to explore each other’s seemingly inaccessible inner worlds. The audience witnesses the power dynamics between a director-actress and a writer. Hosseini says about the film, “I hope you see ‘The Writer is Dead’ as a seed that will allow us to bring works by great Iranian writers to global cinema and audiences. There are many great writers in Iranian history.” He discusses the aim of using filmmaking to transmit culture: “My goal in filmmaking outside Iran is to transfer culture and introduce Iran to other nations, from the stories of Shahnameh to the works of Rumi and Nezami, to contemporary writers. Adapting ancient stories for a non-Iranian audience is challenging, though.”

“The Writer is Dead” was released in Iran in selected cinemas by Art & Experience Cinema Group in March last year and then made available on video streaming platforms. Hosseini adds about Art and Experience: “The duration of ‘The Writer is Dead’ is about 67 minutes, which was not suitable for mainstream cinema screenings. It was my first experimental work in the U.S., and I preferred to go with this format.”
In his adaptation, Hosseini has created two distinct spaces in a living room and a terrace, allowing for a fluid dramatic setting that ranges from a typical artistic collaboration to an emotional and engaging struggle. Despite some exaggerated performances, particularly by the actress, which are more suited for stage performances, Hosseini’s visual composition and scene blocking enhance the film’s dramatic qualities. “The Writer is Dead” is a relatively successful cinematic adaptation of a play with limited characters in Iranian cinema, promising new and more serious experiences in this field for larger audiences.