Inspired by a short story of the same title by Gregory Burnham and Autoportrait by Edouard Leve, “Subtotals” is a meditation on the uncertainties of life that doesn't hand out any bills. It is a poetic film essay that touches deeply the humanist essence of existence.
The 15-minute-long film consists of edited home movies, scenes from the life of Iranian society shot on 8 mm film. Against their background, a deep voice spins its counting down, summarizing event categories like tables in a spreadsheet. Mathematical precision stands in deep contrast with the eye of the camera, which intimately drifts between scenes taken from home archives, emphasizing the passage of time and the passing of life inscribed in it. By contrasting experiences with the numbers summarizing them, the director emphasizes everything that is elusive and indescribable, and what is the content of everyday life.

TRAILER: bit.ly/3KVcmFj

Mohammadreza Farzad was born in 1978 in Teheran, Iran. He began his career as a poet and literary translator. His documentary filmmaker career started with “Into Thin Air” and “Blames and Flames” premiered at Berlinale, in Forum Expanded section, which will also screen his "Subtotals". Farzad has been a PhD student at the Film Factory headed by the legendary Hungarian auteur Bela Tarr. His subsequent films premiered at dozens of national and international festivals and gained numerous awards. He is currently working on his first feature film.

Subtotals (Majmouan), dir. Mohammadreza Farzad
production: Lodz Film School, Road River Films

Details: vnlab.filmschool.lodz.pl/pracownia-eseju-filmowego/subtotals-na-berlinale

The world premiere of the film will take place as part of the prestigious interdisciplinary section of Berlinale, Forum Expanded.

Premiere: 13.02, at 2 p.m. Arsenal 1 Cinema
Next screenings:
14.02, at 8 p.m. Werkstattkino@silent green
19.02, at 2 p.m. Werkstattkino@silent green

The film is also available to holders of industry accreditations as part of the Berlinale European Film Market.