Seconds of Lead

For her new novel, the Iranian author Narges Abyar is investigating the mass murder committed by the Shah's army on Zhaleh Square in Tehran on September 8, 1978. In the course of her research, she stumbles upon a documentary in which the projectionist of Cinema Silvana, also located on Zhaleh Square, tells about how he watched the bloodbath from the safety of the movie theater. Desperate demonstrators pounded on his door, but he didn't dare open it. Abyar locates the director of the documentary and ultimately finds the projectionist as well. But her quest is far from over, for the man in question is completely unwilling to discuss those terrible times - at first, he even categorically denies that he is who everyone around him says he is. But the author perseveres, gradually breaking through the armor of the obviously frightened witness. The camera follows her during all her endeavors, which gradually reap rewards - we don't only learn more about the bloody events on the square, but also about the projectionist himself, who still lives with the guilt of failing to open the door.