Pedram Rahmani on the show "Labyrinth"

Pedram Rahmani, writer and stage director, started his artistic career in 1999 when he started studying at the art faculty of Arak University. Since then, he has directed nearly 40 plays .His latest show, "Labyrinth", which competes in FITF's stage section, narrates the lives of people who are on two paths to achieve their desires. The path they choose affects not only their own lives but also the lives of people they don't even know.

We see the effect of the character's behavior and choice on the lives of other characters without even knowing each other in "Labyrinth";as the writer, what made you tackle this issue?

- A theory called the butterfly effect has been proposed in the world for several years. The butterfly effect refers to the fact that a small change such as the flapping of a butterfly's wings in one part of the world can cause a storm in another part of the world. In other words, everything we do will have positive or negative consequences not only for ourselves but also for others. It was in my mind for several years until I finally wrote the play in the spring of 2021, and after rewriting it six times, the final draft was ready in spring 2022.                                                                   

In the show "Labyrinth", we see a character named  khakestari( Grey) who is the main character, a type of character that I interpret as  Nafs-e-Amareh (it leads a person to do bad things) in the show; Is this interpretation close to the character you created?

- There have been many interpretations of the gray character so far; Some people had the most superficial opinion about such a character and considered the gray character as Satan or evil. Some people see him as someone who solves other people's problems, but there is something deeper about the grey character. What I have in mind as the writer and creator of this character is that Gray is the darkest part of the characters in the show and they are talking to him throughout the show.

The cast  got into their roles so deeply that we identify with them.

- The cast were selected based on their mood and lifestyle. For example, the actor who playing the role of the blind man is a madah in his real life and has strong religious beliefs, or the actress who playing the role of Madam is an artist who loved her husband passionately, and after his  death, she is known as lady in love .Therefor, The cast was chosen based on what we know about them and what they relate to in their daily lives.

How do you see the audience's reception of the shows performed in the 2023 FITF?

- Social conditions have been effective in the presence of maximum audiences. Although their presence definitely depends on the quality of the works. The works that are welcomed by the audience in the festival are shows with a higher level of quality.

The 2023 FITF is underway in Tehran until January 31. The festival is presided over by Iranian actor and director  Kourosh Zarei.