The battle between ambition and responsibility lies at the heart of Director Amir Zargara’s tense political drama A Good Day Will Come, about a professional wrestler – based on the real life champion wrestler Navid Afkari who was executed by the Iranian government in 2020 – torn between his desire to compete on the grandest stage and the moral urge to use his platform to aid his people in their fight against tyranny. It’s both an up-close emotional drama and a rousing political thriller, with Zargara navigating both of those complex modes with such subtlety and grace. With the film currently traversing festivals worldwide, DN caught up with Zargara for a revealing conversation where he spoke of the personal moral conflict he faced in conceiving the film, his ambition to realise the film’s large-scale protest scenes, and the challenge he and his team faced in finding an actor who was not only physically able to pull off the lead role but was willing to risk their ability to return to their home country.
What was the genesis of this story and your decision to tell it?
Where do I begin? First of all, I hesitated for the longest time to even attempt telling this story because it carries so much weight. Telling any story invites criticism, but when you’re telling a story about your own people, it’s a whole different challenge. This was especially true in this case, where the lead character is inspired by a real person, Navid Afkari.
For years, I wrestled with an internal battle, trying to decide whether to pursue this project. I worked on other films, some moved forward, some didn’t, hoping that someone more established and esteemed would tackle this story. But after waiting for years and seeing no news of such a project, I realized that if I didn’t use the privilege I’ve gained from being in Canada to tell this story, perhaps no one would. That realization became my driving force. Initially, I was morally conflicted about embarking on this journey, but that ‘why’ kept me going once I started.
What was it that was holding you back and what ultimately led you to make it?
You have to understand, telling this story has repercussions for me and my family. That was another major consideration. But once I made peace with the decision that telling this story and not letting it be forgotten was more important than my ability to return to Iran, I felt ready to proceed. I worried about the impact it might have on my extended family, but I decided to cross that bridge when it became a reality, as at that stage it still felt like wishful thinking.
Telling any story invites criticism, but when you’re telling a story about your own people, it’s a whole different challenge.
Another concern was Navid’s family. To this day, I have not contacted them, and I intentionally did not start the film with “Inspired by”. I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if I caused them any harm, so I believed that by not involving them, I was taking the safest and most respectful approach. From their perspective, I’m just a filmmaker in Canada who made a film with a character inspired by Navid and dedicated it to him at the end.
How did you strike that balance between being inspired by Navid’s story but also shifting focus away from him?
It’s important to note that while the film is a work of fiction, the character of Arash is indeed inspired by the tragic story of Navid Afkari. Initially, I tried to approach his story as a docu-drama, collaborating with another writer to capture it based on the facts available online. However, the script we developed didn’t fully convey the empathy needed to connect audiences with the broader issues in Iran. After taking a break from the project, inspiration struck one cold winter night as I was driving back from the gym at two in the morning, listening to the song A Good Day Will Come by Hichkas, the Godfather of Rap in Iran. The song’s opening line, “A Good Day Will Come, that we won’t kill each other,” sparked a vivid image of a character standing with his hands up, facing guns at a protest. This powerful vision guided me to a new draft, which evolved into the final version of the film. The narrative now captures the complex socio-political landscape of Iran, blending the personal with the political to build a more profound emotional connection with the audience. I hope to expand on the short film’s ideas with a feature-length version that is currently in development.
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Once your story was formed and you were ready to make the film, where did you go next?
Once we had a script and I applied for grants, the reality of the project started to set in when we received positive responses. I knew I had to share the news with my family and seek their blessing, as this project could have serious implications for them. I sat them down, explained the film and its potential consequences, and while they hesitated, they didn’t stand in my way.
Then came the big questions, casting and where to shoot the film. I had a modest budget for what I wanted to achieve. I reached out to various production companies in Turkey, Georgia, Greece, Jordan, and Italy, all countries that have doubled for Iran before, and began gathering budgets. Unfortunately, everything was way over what I had available. Feeling discouraged, I spoke with a fellow filmmaker friend in Iran, explaining that I had these grants and a script but was still no closer to making the film. He put me in touch with a friend who had moved to Turkey and started a production company. After talking to him and sharing everything, Iman Tahsin came on board, and we started pre-production immediately, shooting the film less than two months later.
I imagine it would’ve been challenging to find the right actor to portray Arash, given both the emotional demands of the film and finding an actor with the right physical stature and training.
Casting the role of Arash, played by Sia Alipour, was insanely challenging. Without him, this film wouldn’t have been possible. If he had said no, I’m not sure the film would have even been made. I needed an actor who could speak Farsi, lived outside of Iran, and was okay with the reality that this role might prevent him from returning home. On top of that, he needed to have a background in martial arts or wrestling, as our budget didn’t allow for extensive training, and he had to already be in wrestler shape since we couldn’t afford the time or money to get an actor into shape. Sia checked all these boxes and more. With Sia on board as the lead and Iman attached, we were off to the races, and the rest of the pieces fell into place.
I needed an actor who could speak Farsi, lived outside of Iran, and was okay with the reality that this role might prevent him from returning home. On top of that, he needed to have a background in martial arts or wrestling.
How did you create the semblance of Iran through costume and art direction?
Authenticity was a top priority. Initially, we weren’t sure where we would shoot the film, and we eventually ended up in Istanbul, Turkey. Given our budget constraints, I had to be thoroughly prepared to communicate all this dense information to the art director Eda Aslan, as we couldn’t afford for them to conduct the research themselves. This is why my art direction and wardrobe deck was extensive, spanning over 100 pages, attention to detail was key to keeping things authentic.
Similarly, how did you utilise the visual language of the short to both embed the audience in Arash’s narrative and immerse them in a world that felt realistic?
The cinematic language of the film was meticulously crafted from the very first conversation with my DP. We had a very meticulous process that started with shotlisting, then moved to diagramming and imagining the spaces, and finally, storyboarding. This thorough approach ensured that every visual element was intentional and aligned with the film’s themes. We collaborated with a storyboard artist, Steve Worthington, to bring the shots to life, which was essential for communicating our vision to the crew, especially since we anticipated a language barrier on set. The storyboard deck ended up being over 100 pages long, ensuring that everyone on the team could clearly understand and execute the intended visuals. Many of the protest scenes, particularly the shots Arash sees on his phone, were directly inspired by real-life images and videos I encountered during my research, helping to ground the film in authenticity.
Were there any specific piece of equipment or tech that you opted for which gave you the ability to shoot that way?
I asked Jelan Maxwell, our DP about this and he said, “To shoot A Good Day Will Come, I wanted to be nimble while still capturing a pristine image. I opted to shoot on the Alexa Mini paired with the Arri/Zeiss Ultra prime lenses. I chose this combo for the look, but also functionally I wanted to have something that was tried and true and that I knew everyone on my team would be comfortable with. It was our first time shooting outside of the country so I wanted to minimize any possible risks.
I wanted to have something that was tried and true and that I knew everyone on my team would be comfortable with.
There were some scenes however which needed very long focal lengths for certain POV shots, and we could not get long enough lenses from the ultra primes. I originally wanted to use the Arri Alura 45-250 but, once seeing it in person the weight was far too much to use on location. Doing some research with some suggestions from the rental house I came across GL Optics which made a cine rehouse version of a classic Canon 70-200. I knew there would be minor color discrepancies, but for the size and weight it offered, that was a great choice and worked very well.”
What prep did you have to do for the protest scene? It’s an ambitious piece of filmmaking.
My DP and I landed in Istanbul, Turkey, with one week left before principal photography, and we had to get on the same page with all the department heads and everyone else. We faced many challenges. We managed to secure a neighborhood that was receptive to us shooting there, closing the streets for the day. The local community was extremely cooperative, from planning all the way through production.
And the rest of production, how long were you in Turkey for? And how was it shooting the other scenes outside of the protest?
It was a six day shoot. Production is a grind, and many unexpected things come up that you have to deal with on the fly. We had to adjust our shoot schedule and issue a rest day after three days of shooting since the third day was particularly long, with three different locations, the last of which was two hours outside of town. The protest day went smoother than expected, thanks to an extremely well-planned day and the execution by everyone involved. Of course, there were hiccups, as we were shooting in a real neighborhood, but the local elders helped us resolve issues quickly, allowing us to wrap on time. I must commend Iman, our producer, Duygu Kizgin, our line producer, Sara Nasrabadi, Iman’s partner in life and business, as well as our production sound mixer, Fetih Ceyhun, our production manager, and everyone else in the cast and crew for making this production so seamless. Everyone rolled with the punches to bring this project home.
How did you find the post-production process?
I stayed behind in Turkey to lock the picture with Iman, who also served as our editor, while Jelan our DP returned to Canada. We worked remotely with our composer in Iran, who recorded real musicians to bring the score to life. Once the picture was locked, I headed back to Canada and continued to work remotely with the sound editor/mixer, Amir Mohabbati who was based in Istanbul, and our composer, KB. Jelan oversaw the color grading remotely with Iman, which was a challenge since the color can look different on various monitors, even though they were calibrated and the same model/brand of computers.
We ended up with a 30-minute director’s cut, which I believe is the best version of the film. However, after attempting to get into festivals for eight months and having many discussions with festival programmers, I realized that this film was simply too difficult for festivals to program. By March 2024, I made various cuts of the film tailored for different festivals to ensure that it received the rollout and festival life it deserved. The FYC cut that we are submitting to the Academy Awards stands at 26 min.
We ended up with a 30-minute director’s cut, which I believe is the best version of the film.
What does the future hold for you and your filmmaking?
In the immediate future, I’m deeply involved in several projects, but my primary focus is on developing the feature film version of A Good Day Will Come. Bringing this story to life on a larger scale is a true passion of mine. I’m dedicating my efforts to expanding the narrative and exploring the characters more deeply. I believe the themes and messages in the short film have the potential to resonate even more powerfully in a full-length format. Working on the feature allows me to delve further into the complexities of the story and the issues it addresses. I’m currently in the process of refining the script, and while it’s an ambitious endeavor, I’m excited about the possibilities and the impact it could have.
Looking toward the long term, I aspire to make a significant impact in the film industry. I hope to graduate to bigger films and tackle large-scale productions, following in the footsteps of one of my favorite filmmakers, Denis Villeneuve. My goal is to create compelling stories that not only entertain but also provoke thought and inspire change.
