Ferestaadeh

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Ferestaadeh : فیلم فرستاده :  "Ferestaadeh," the English title for "Ferestadeh," is a crime drama film that marks Parviz Sayyad's first directorial endeavor after the 1979 Iranian Revolution and his subsequent emigration. Filmed in New York and featuring Sayyad in dual roles, the movie premiered in the United States in March 1984 (corresponding to Farvardin 1362 in the Iranian calendar) and won two awards at the Locarno Film Festival in Switzerland in 1983. Many critics regard "The Mission" as Sayyad's finest work since the revolution.

Plot Summary:
The film narrates the story of a religious young man named Davoud Moslemi (played by Houshang Touzie), who is sent from Tehran to the United States by the regime. His mission is to assassinate Ali Akbar Tabatabai, a former SAVAK official living in Washington. However, before he can carry out the assassination, Tabatabai is killed by another terrorist in America, leading to an unexpected turn in the young man's journey.

About the Film:
Parviz Sayyad was inspired to create "The Mission" by the life of a friend connected to SAVAK and administrative apparatuses, who had to flee Iran post-revolution to save his life. Sayyad intertwined this narrative with the real-life assassination of Ali Akbar Tabatabai by Davoud Salahuddin to craft the film's story.

Despite being produced on a significantly smaller budget than Sayyad's "Samad" films in Iran, "Ferestaadeh" received a warm reception worldwide and garnered several awards at major festivals. It represented a promising start for Persian-language filmmaking outside of Iran, which later encountered challenges. Following its success in international festivals, the film was purchased by various national broadcasters, including the BBC, but only Scandinavian countries and the Netherlands aired it during the lifetime of Ruhollah Khomeini, Iran's leader. The final broadcasting permissions in many countries, including Germany, were postponed until after Khomeini's death. "The Mission" continues to be shown on Persian-language TV channels, and its sales enabled Sayyad to produce his next film, "Sarhad."