The creative team behind Ali Asgari’s upcoming indie feature confirmed Tuesday that the production has successfully relocated to Turkey, following weeks of heavy Iranian artillery bombardments that created an unacceptable number of continuity errors.
The life-affirming drama about a suicidal Iranian doctor had originally committed to a rigorous location shoot in the capital, but sources close to the production note that the constant threat of lethal shellfire ultimately became too much of a logistical headache for the first assistant director. Insiders confirmed that while the natural, harsh lighting provided by burning vehicles looked fantastic in early dailies, the unpredictable detonation schedules were repeatedly forcing the non-union crew into costly overtime.
After attempting to loop dialogue over the sound of collapsing infrastructure for three consecutive days, the financiers finally pulled the plug on the Iranian leg of the shoot. The production has since secured several interior soundstages in Istanbul, where the team is currently trying to build back momentum and keep the picture on schedule.
It’s always a nightmare when an active conflict zone refuses to respect the call sheet.
Now safely housed in Turkey, reps for the film are working frantically to salvage the remaining budget. Publicists are reportedly already leaning into the near-death experiences of the cast and crew as a powerful comeback narrative, hoping the harrowing production history will generate strong early tracking ahead of an aggressive fall awards season rollout.
The film’s location manager is currently attempting to replicate the exact color temperature of a Tehran apartment fire using rented Turkish LED panels in order to ensure a seamless cut for the trailer.