Director: Javad Mozdabadi
Cast: Ahmad Irandoost, Ezatollah Ramazanifar, Fathali Oveisi, Hadis Fooladvand, Maryam Soltani
Kaleh Pook is a 2020 Iranian comedy film directed by Javad Mozdabadi, running 82 minutes. Set in a rural village, it follows the commotion that erupts when local council elections bring competing candidates and simmering community tensions to a head.
What is Kaleh Pook about?
In a quiet Iranian village, the announcement of council elections sets off a chain of rivalries and misunderstandings among those who put themselves forward as candidates. Each contender has their own ambitions and allegiances, while the villagers are pulled in different directions by loyalty, self-interest, and old grudges. What begins as a civic process quickly spirals into a comedy of errors as personalities clash, alliances shift, and the community discovers how much separates neighbors who once seemed united. The film charts these mounting tensions through a series of escalating confrontations and absurd situations, building toward an election day that none of the participants could have anticipated.
Cast & crew
The film is directed by Javad Mozdabadi and features an ensemble cast including Ahmad Irandoost, Ezatollah Ramazanifar, Fathali Oveisi, Hadis Fooladvand, Maryam Soltani, Mehdi Aminikhah, Seyed Reza Hosseini, and Sirous Gorjestani. The broad cast reflects the village-community setting, with multiple characters sharing roughly equal dramatic weight.
Context & significance
Village-set comedies have a long tradition in Iranian cinema, drawing on the contrast between rural community norms and the intrusions of modern civic life. Kaleh Pook sits within this tradition, using local council elections — a familiar, low-stakes civic ritual — as the engine for farce and character comedy. For diaspora viewers, the film offers a portrait of small-town Iranian social dynamics: the jostling for status, the weight of communal opinion, and the humor that arises when personal ambition meets collective life. The 82-minute runtime keeps the pace brisk, and the ensemble format ensures a range of comedic personalities populating the village square.
Where & how to watch
Kaleh Pook is available to watch on K-Time in its original Persian audio. Stream it on the web, on your TV, or on your phone — no VPN needed, no geo-blocking, and you can cancel anytime.