Milad Tangshir, an Iranian director based in Italy, presented his debut feature film “Anywhere Anytime” at the Fajr International Film Festival in the Future Frame section, which showcases first and second films in competition. The story follows Issa, an undocumented immigrant from Senegal living in Turin, whose bicycle is stolen on his first day as a food delivery cyclist, prompting a desperate journey across the city.
Drawing from his upbringing surrounded by Italian cinema classics and his formal training in Turin, Tangshir shared insights on the dialogue between Iranian and Italian cinema, the influence of neorealism, the poetic dimensions of film, and the realities of migration as experienced through the lens of cinema.
The atmosphere of “Anywhere Anytime” strongly recalls “Bicycle Thieves” and Italian neorealism. Is this neorealist approach drawn solely from Italian cinema, or has Iranian cinema also influenced it?
As you said, Italian neorealism has had a profound impact on world cinema, including Iran – perhaps Iran is one of the countries most deeply influenced by it. Interestingly, in recent decades, during its golden era, Iranian cinema has in turn inspired contemporary Italian filmmakers. Directors over the last two or three decades in Italy have clearly drawn from Iranian cinema. This decades-long dialogue between the two cinemas represents one of the most beautiful chapters in film history.
The festival’s landscape is “Poetic Cinema.” What is the connection between neorealism and poetic cinema?
The greatest lesson that neorealism – and the ongoing Iranian tradition – continues to teach is the focus on ordinary people: those we see every day, whose dramas and tragedies unfold in the streets. Almost my entire film was shot with non-professional actors in real locations. This attention to the small details of everyday life, without requiring grand events for a story to emerge, creates a poetic feeling. Personally, when cinema approaches poetry, I feel it comes closest to its true essence – a space no longer dependent on words, literature, or theater, but where image and sound combine to produce a poetic emotion in the viewer’s mind and heart. I believe the Fajr Festival, by choosing this motto, has highlighted exactly the strength and global prestige of Iranian cinema: its poetic quality.
You have lived outside Iran for over a decade. How does your lived experience in Iran manifest in this film?
I was 27 when I left Iran, so I was already fully formed – with all my strengths and flaws. I have always considered myself Iranian, and that identity shapes my taste and perspective. In reviews in Italy and elsewhere, the film has consistently been recognized as the work of an Iranian director, even though it was entirely made in Italy.
We have already seen several films about migration at this year’s festival. Why is the theme of migration so compelling for filmmakers?
It’s a very interesting question. Speaking for myself as a migrant, I see myself in a “third place” or “third condition” – neither fully Iranian in Iran nor fully Italian in Italy. Migrants enter this in-between space that goes beyond simple national belonging. That condition compels us to express what we see. One of its positive aspects is the outside perspective: sometimes an Italian director cannot see issues that have become invisible to them, but someone who has come from outside can reveal them more clearly.
Tell us about your previous festival experience.
Over the past fifteen or sixteen years, I’ve participated in many festivals with other works. “Anywhere Anytime” premiered at the Venice Film Festival last September, and for the past year and a few months, it has been traveling to festivals around the world.
How does the Fajr International Film Festival compare to the other festivals you’ve attended?
To be honest, this is my first time participating in an Iranian festival, so I still want to absorb the atmosphere more fully. But the Fajr Festival has always been a huge part of my father’s life – and therefore our family’s life. For over forty years, he never missed a single edition; during those ten days, he would practically disappear! I’m thrilled that now, as a filmmaker myself, I have the chance to be part of it. Iranian cinema enjoys tremendous international prestige and one of the strongest cinematic traditions in the world, so the Fajr Festival naturally holds special significance for me.
How will participating in the Fajr International Film Festival affect your filmmaking path? Do you plan to make a film in Iran?
This is the first time one of my works is being shown at an Iranian festival, and it means a great deal to me. I have now lived in Italy for 15–16 years; as a migrant, I have my own concerns and preoccupations. I don’t want to make a film about Iran from afar or based on outdated memories. But I would love it if the right story and opportunity arose to make a film in Iran or about Iran.
