I made the film "Jordan Street Bandits(movies)" with a reference to the movie "The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly"

According to the cultural reporter from IRNA, a review session for the film "Jordan Street Bandits(movies)" was held last night (Tuesday) at Ferdows Cultural Center. The

session was attended by Vahid Eslami, the writer and director, Dariush Babayiyan, the producer, Mohammadreza Esmaili, Naser Sohrabi, and Nasim Fetrat, the actors, as well as Mohammadreza Lotfi, the host and critic.

At the beginning of the session, Vahid Eslami said, "In making 'Jordan Street Bandits(movies),' I had in mind creating a surreal and unique atmosphere, and I wanted to draw inspiration from Ernst Lubitsch and his film 'Trouble in Paradise.'"

He added, "I wanted to have 'The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly' in the back of my mind and approach the process of making 'Jordan Street Bandits(movies)' with that perspective."

The director explained, "I am my own critic, and I don't intend to escape from anything. The final product did not turn out exactly as I wanted it to."

Eslami continued, "The film is not absurd, and I don't want to brag or pretend. All the weaknesses of the film are on me. But believe me, filmmaking is a variable process with many factors involved."

He emphasized, "A writer definitely creates what they have in mind with a pen and paper, but a filmmaker cannot create what they have in mind alone, and many things are beyond their control."

The filmmaker then talked about the challenges faced during the production of the film "Jordan Street Bandits(movies)," including the sudden disappearance of some actors for several days, their inability to break their stereotypes, and even the guard of actors who had preconceived notions about him, among other things, which prevented the idealized image of the filmmaker from manifesting on screen.

Eslami continued, "I had many things in mind that I achieved some of and couldn't achieve others. Perhaps part of this inability is due to my limited experience, and I don't want to say that 'Jordan Street Bandits(movies)' is a masterpiece. No, the film has issues, and there's no doubt about it, but I can confidently say that it stands out from common comedies."

Mohammadreza Lotfi, the attending critic, also said, " 'Jordan Street Bandits(movies)' is Vahid Eslami's first creation. He has been actively involved in film criticism for years and has now entered the filmmaking field from the press and critical space."

He added, "Perhaps this film doesn't fit within the realm of criticism and doesn't satisfy the taste of critics, but it deserves examination from various perspectives."

Dariush Babayiyan, the producer of "Jordan Street Bandits(movies)," stated, "Comedy is not my main genre. I consider myself part of children's cinema, and my heart beats for that genre. However, this genre is dead in today's cinema and lacks vitality."

Mohammadreza Esmaili, an actor in the film, also commented during the session, saying, "I don't pretend or boast in cinema. I neither claim anything nor know anything about it. I am strongly committed to theater and will continue to be, but I won't talk about cinema."

He emphasized, "I can also say that I won't be in films anymore, and I have no interest in them because I don't like their nature."

The actor added, "In cinema, I realized that the sharp blade of censorship kills all the enthusiasm, passion, and efforts of a group and filmmaker. If part of this film is vague, it's because of this issue. Otherwise, in its original version, the film makes complete sense."

Naser Sohrabi, another actor in the film, said, "Acting is not my main concern. I started writing criticism in 1995 and have been involved in the formation of this film from the very beginning."

He added, "Vahid Eslami worked hard for about three years on this film, and I think all the films mentioned are one side, but he faced many difficulties and obstacles in the process of obtaining production permits and screenings. If it weren't for the efforts of the film's producer, this endeavor wouldn't have borne fruit."

Nasim Fetrat, another actor in "Jordan Street Bandits(movies)," also mentioned the other challenges faced during the making of the film and said, "Unfortunately, Reza Shafiei Jam couldn't be present at the end due to illness, and the writer and director decided to replace his character with Arjang Amirfazli."

• Irna