Into The Story From Under The Hatch

Alireza, Panta and Sina, thanks for sitting down with us. What inspired you to create this film? Was there a specific event or story that sparked the idea?

Alireza Kazemipour & Panta Mosleh (AK & PM): What motivated us to tell this story is to draw our audience's attention to the sufferings of innocent children, whose voices are portrayed far too little in the global media. These are stories that are happening far too often and are talked about not often enough. With this film, we've intended to highlight the perspective of a refugee child through their traumatic memories of illegal immigration.

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How did you develop the characters in the film?

AK & PM: In the tanker, we chose to put together a diverse group of characters from all walks of life and various ethnic backgrounds to portray the reality of hiding in a moving water tanker entering an eastern European country from the middle east. We had to create a backstory for each character to give them their motivation for leaving their country, which then informed them of their actions and reactions as they face their inevitable fate.

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What were some of the biggest challenges you faced during the production of this film?

AK & PM: The majority of our story takes place inside of a moving water truck where all the actors are submerged up to their chest in the water. This meant that we had to design a set piece as the shell of a water truck inside a temperature controlled pool, with a removable floor deck where actors could comfortably stand on. The set piece itself had to be rigged and supported with heavy scaffolding from above, so that we could remove the floor to gain access to a fully blacked out pool in order to film our deep underwater dream sequence.

Through rigorous planning, building a 3D model of our set piece, and thoroughly storyboarding all our water work, we managed to build a set piece that could serve the story while ensuring that all cast and crew were safe.

In addition to the set build, we had two minor actors with us amongst the adult cast, who had to submerge underwater and perform with their breath holds. We were lucky to have been under the supervision of Roberta Cenedese, one of the best water stunt coordinators in town who helped train our cast including the minors to get comfortable with water.

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Can you describe your process for writing the script? How did you approach the story structure and dialogue?

AK, PM & Sina Nazarian (SN): We adopted a subjective point of view to really immerse our audience into Naaji's perspective as a refugee child experiencing this horrific event. By staying tethered to him the entire time while hiding in the tanker, we avoided revealing the outside world, even when they get to the border inspection, and chose to tell that story through him hearing the sounds and reacting to them, which adds to the suspense of the film.

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How did you go about casting the actors for your film? Were there any specific qualities you were looking for in the actors?

AK, PM & SN: The process of casting for our film was actually very intricate. In addition to the conventional casting process, we also had to take each candidate to a pool for a water assessment with our amazing underwater stunt coordinator, Roberta Cenedese, to check their breath holds, and ability to perform underwater. In fact, we sadly had to replace our lead minor actors due to this very reason to ensure their safety. Once the cast were locked in, we then held multiple dry and wet rehearsals to polish our blocking so that each cast member could feel absolutely safe and comfortable before we went to camera.

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How would you describe your directing style? How do you work with actors to bring out their best performances? How do you collaborate with your team?

AK, PM & SN: This was a collective effort from both of our directors Alireza and Panta as they each have different styles that really complemented each other. Panta being more experienced in the union, as a TV movie director, familiar with the western workflow of production, while Alireza coming from the Iranian cinema and has a more arthouse background, they were both able to embrace their strengths and find a wonderful middle ground to create Hatch.

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Is there a specific aspect of the film that you are really excited about and would like to speak more to?

AK, PM & SN: There's definitely more than one aspect about this film that we are very proud of.

The script was written from a subjective point of view to really immerse our audience into Naaji's perspective by staying close with him the entire time while hiding in the water tanker. This meant that we had to rely heavily on Sound Design and music to portray the terrifying experience that is going through a border inspection as a refugee kid without revealing the outside world. They say that Sound and Picture are 50-50 in a film and it couldn't be more true in our case.

In addition to the amazing Sound Design by Eli Haligua, and the chilling score by Mehrdad Jafari-Raad, we are extremely proud of the way our DOP, Mikah Sharkey, and Production Designer, Gwendolyn Margetson, were able to collaborate to help build this dark and grim world. The overall design of the water tank was meant as a metaphor to resemble that of a mother's womb, where an infant floats safely in the presence of their mother. In the case of Naaji, we will come to learn that he has repeatedly entered this tanker as a means to reconnect with the loss of his mother. Additionally, taking inspiration from the Milk Train episode in the Handmaid's Tale, we designed small portholes in the ceiling of the water truck to motivate some kind of an ambient light in the set, which strategically lit our characters while keeping the edges of our set faded back to black, embracing the dark tone of our story.

Last but not least, the water work operated by our talented cam op, Aiden Zanini, painfully paints a surreal dream that leads into a nightmare of a child losing his grip from his mother before he's pulled out of the Hatch. Aiden's intuitive work was instrumental in telling Naaji's story.

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Which filmmakers or films have influenced your work the most?

AK: There are many filmmakers who work in different styles and genres, but I love their works! Among them are David Fincher, Nuri Bilge Ceylan, Lars von Trier, and Asghar Farhadi. However, I am passionate about storytelling, twists, and suspense, which can also be seen in the film Hatch.

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What is the most important lesson you've learned from making this film?

PM: This was the first time for me to do an underwater shoot and the intricacies of the performances underwater and how important it is to communicate with your actors in the water as they can’t see or hear very much in the water. We had a speaker in the water and we had assigned one voice to speak to them so as to not create any stress or confusion and I was the one to communicate our requests to them. It was a very unique experience and I learned a lot from it.

AK: This film was my first experience of co-directing. Collaborating with Pantea, discussing and debating ideas, and reaching a common decision during prep and on set was a valuable experience for me. It was also the first time we experienced underwater filming.

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What are you working on next? Are there any upcoming projects you're excited about?

Alireza is currently working on his next film, Light through the Blindfold, a short-form documentary funded by Telus Originals. Additionally, he is developing his first feature film script, which he plans to produce next year.

Panta’s controversial feature documentary QUEER & MUSLIM is about to hit the festival circuit and her comedy special CULTURE SHOCK is about to strike a deal with a big distribution company. She is currently working on her next US feature film which is her first ever 3.5M$ movie. She is excited to be working at this level of production.

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How do you think you've evolved as a filmmaker over the years, and how has your approach changed since your first project?

PM: Working across different genres and styles, in both indie and mainstream film and TV, with varying budgets and constraints, and collaborating with individuals at all levels of experience, from beginners to seasoned professionals, has shaped who I am today as a director. Navigating the unique challenges of each project has made me an excellent problem solver, which is, after all, a key aspect of directing, aside from the artistic storytelling. Additionally, my experience in various roles within the industry—from the camera department to production coordinator, production manager, post-production coordinator, producer, and even writer—has made me a well-rounded filmmaker. Understanding how different parts of the filmmaking process work has made me a better leader on set. As I take on larger projects throughout my career, I am confident that I will continue to learn, grow, and improve as a director with every new experience. My next step is to get into episodic directing and luckily having my half hour comedy series funded by Bell I think I may be able to get the chance to do that sooner than I had expected. So yay to that!! Thank you Film Gods! Haha!

AK: I spent many years working as a screenwriter in Iranian cinema and television. After immigrating to Canada in 2019, I transitioned into directing. My first two films were made in Iran, and The Gold Teeth (2022), a Crazy8s film, marked my directorial debut in Canada. Panta was working at Crazy8s at the time and encouraged me to apply for the program that year and was a successful applicant. Since then, I’ve been continually learning and gaining deeper insights into the Canadian film industry. The differences in filmmaking processes between Iran and Canada, especially in production systems, present new challenges, and I’m committed to further educating myself in this field.

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Can you share an example of a significant challenge you faced during production and how you resolved it?

SN: About 5 weeks prior to going to camera, we learned that our lead minor actors was having difficulty keeping their eyes open underwater. Due to their safety, and the amount of work involved underwater, we had to make the difficult choice of recasting them. Thankfully we were lucky enough to have found Ali and Daniella Eldurssi, who did exceptionally well in their initial water assessment. They both really knocked it out of the park with their heart wrenching performance above AND below the water surface.

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How do you facilitate collaboration between different departments to ensure the smooth running of a production?

SN: Coming from an assistant directing background, I made it my mission to treat this short with as much professionalism as I witness from the larger shows I’ve worked on. After having developed the project for so many months, both the directors and I had a very solid understanding of the task at hand. So we ensured that we would meet with each department head to go over their specific needs while also conducting full production meetings to streamline the workflow between all departments.

PM: Having worked in various departments, from the camera department to the production office in below-the-line roles (such as production coordinating and managing) and above-the-line roles like producing and directing, I believe the knowledge I’ve gained in each area makes me a well-rounded producer. I understand the needs of each department and ensure they are met. The key to keeping the filmmaking process running smoothly is knowing how and when to delegate. It took me years and many projects to realize I don’t need to do everything myself. By delegating tasks and trusting each team member to fulfill their responsibilities, we can work together to achieve our ultimate goal of telling a great story. Sometimes, you’ll find people eager to learn and step up, and giving them the space to take on tasks can spark their joy, as Marie Kondo would say, in the filmmaking process.

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What excited you about this film? Why did you join the project?

SN: HATCH is my 2nd collaboration with our writer, Alireza Kazemipour, after having produced his previous short, The Gold Teeth (Crazy8s 2022). Although the script for Hatch was no more than 6 pages, it captivated me instantly with its gripping plotline and twisted ending. The fact that it had to involve a full construction build, rigged on top of a pool made me even more excited to jump on board.

My day job in the industry is working as a key 2nd assistant director on larger network series on top tier union shows. Throughout my career, I have come across high level set builds and underwater units. After reading the script for Hatch, I was excited to be able to put all my practical skills to use and assemble a top notch crew of professionals through my network in the union, and bring the story to life with the highest production value possible.

PM: I first met Alireza while working at Crazy8s. We had planned to collaborate on The Gold Teeth, but when he shared his dream of becoming a director in Canada, I encouraged him to apply to Crazy8s as a director on that project that year and supported him throughout the process. We talked about working together on the next project, and that turned out to be Hatch! It’s been such a fun journey getting to know someone by watching them create a project, and then working together to bring a vision to life. From conception to completion, this movie has been an incredible experience, and we truly hope it reaches a wide audience and sparks important conversations around the timely and relevant topic of refugee children and their experiences living in a foreign country.

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What was the development process like for this film? What did that phase look like?

SN & PM: We began our development phase about a year prior to going to production. During our soft prep, we rigorously consulted with various technical advisors to discuss our production & rigging design, and were able to put together a detailed 3D model of our set in which we could virtually spend time and explore various elements. Additionally, we consulted with one of the best underwater stunt coordinators in town who helped us put together a realistic and achievable plan for all our underwater work, and conducted water rehearsals with our cast. The soryboarding was also a crucial step of our prep as we could clearly convey the directors’ vision to all our cast and crew well in advance and help answer all questions before showing up on set.

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As a BC Producer, what was your experience raising the funds for this project? What surprised you in a positive way and how did you overcome roadblocks?

SN: As you know, raising funds at this level is no easy task and is very competitive in our industry. Though we experienced a couple of rejections initially, we had the blessing and support of the BC Arts Council as our initial body of funding, however, it was not enough to produce the entire film given the extensive production cost of the construction build and water elements. In fact, we shelved the project for about half a year, while we waited to hear from additional sources. We even considered producing a dry version to help save cost, however that would not have had the same story impact.

Thankfully, we received our final top off grant from Canada Council for the Arts which completed our financing. Our last hurdle was to implement our plan in under 2 months of hard prep before going to camera. But thanks to our rigorous planning and long soft prep, and a dedicated cast and crew, we managed to deliver all the elements in time before production.

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From your perspective, what would it take for the BC Independent Film Industry to thrive?

SN: I think having the infrastructure to support talented filmmakers in BC is crucial. There are a lot of original and unique voices in our BC film industry who may lack the network to be supported by or the opportunity to be heard. Having the combination of a supportive network of film professionals, and funding bodies that would recognize a well prepped project, makes for a successful film. In our case, we were lucky to have produced this film in the heat of the strike, which meant top tier talent were available for us. But to keep this sustainable, I think we need more help to support the local film industry.

PM: I’d be echoing what Sina says but, from my perspective, for the BC Independent Film Industry to truly thrive, there needs to be a focus on nurturing talent at all levels. This means not only providing funding opportunities but also creating mentorship programs and career development resources that help emerging filmmakers grow and sustain their careers. Ensuring that there are pathways for underrepresented voices to be heard is equally important. We also need to strengthen local collaborations and foster partnerships between independent creators and larger studios or distributors to help elevate projects to a global audience. The industry would benefit from initiatives that support the full production pipeline—from development to distribution—so filmmakers can create work that is not only locally produced but also internationally competitive.

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