Private Project

Night Hag

"Night Hag" is a short drama one-shot film that delves into the lives of the Sadri family, which is plagued by a mysterious illness that only affects the women in their family. This affliction is traced back to 1941, originating from a grave mistake made by their ancestor, the Thane of Tabas, who wrongfully executed the daughters of an old woman. The old woman's curse has lingered over the family, casting a shadow of dread and despair. The story centers on Mehri, a current member of the Sadri family, who finds herself trapped in a terrifying nightmare. Within the confines of her dreams, she confronts the possibility of her and her daughter succumbing to the family's dreaded disease. As Mehri navigates through her nightmares, the film explores themes of guilt, legacy, and the struggle to break free from the chains of a past curse.

  • Bahram Rameh
    Director
  • Amir Soleimani
    Writer
  • ‌Bahram Rameh
    Writer
  • Bahram Rameh
    Producer
  • Hosamodin Mokhtari
    Producer
  • Pantea Ghadirian
    Key Cast
    "Mehri"
  • behnam sharafi
    Key Cast
    "Reza"
  • Marjan Khaksari
    Key Cast
    "Taraneh"
  • Elmira Saremi
    Key Cast
    "Saba, Psychiatrist"
  • Alireza moayedi
    Key Cast
  • Behdad GhafarPour
    Key Cast
    "Young Reza"
  • Yaghob Sabahi
    Key Cast
    "Mehri’s Father"
  • Parisa Naghdizadeh
    Director Assistant
  • Negin Moghaddardoust
    Director Assistant
  • Amir KotobZadeh
    director of photography
  • Ashkan Pourtaji
    Sound
  • Mahtab Hasani
    makeup artist
  • Mohsen Rameh
    Set Designer
  • Saina Najafian
    Custom Designer
  • Bahram Rameh
    Custom Designer
  • Negin Moghaddardoust
    Poster Designer
  • Project Type:
    Short
  • Runtime:
    29 minutes 51 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    February 25, 2024
  • Production Budget:
    5,000 USD
  • Language:
    Persian
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Black & White and Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    No
Director Biography - Bahram Rameh

Bahram Rameh was born on 22 October 1990 in Semnan, Iran. He studied acting at the Art University of Tehran and was always passionate about art, theater, and cinema. After years of working on graphic design, acting, and directing advertising videos for movies, he attempted to direct his first short movie (Night Hag).

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Director Statement

Night Hag narrates the story of a woman named Mehri in contemporary Iran who struggles with a family curse that afflicts the daughters of the Sadri family. In 1941, Sadri Khan, one of the lords of Tabas, causes the death of three daughters of an old woman, who in return curses him so that seven generations of his family's daughters will die of an incurable disease. Mehri caught between dreams and reality, battles this fate, a narrative influenced by my personal experiences. Years ago, I lost a friend in a car accident and fell into a coma myself, sparking a deep sorrow and madness accompanied by constant insomnia within me. During that time, I wrote a play titled "Shock or Mourning" that addressed the experience of loss through therapeutic theater. This play remained until 2023, a time when Iran witnessed strange events and the deaths of many young women and men. The collective grief moved me to adapt this play, in collaboration with my good friend, Amir Soleymani, to portray the prevailing conditions on different layers, hoping it might serve as a balm. The choice of approach and narrative technique in this process, especially the decision to use a sequence shot and the location, highlighted this idea and allowed us to express a fluid condition similar to what we experience in dreams. A month of practice prepared the whole group for depicting this story.