IT’S NOT THE TIME
SYNOPSIS
In a city filled with rumors of an approaching catastrophic earthquake, Nima chooses to stay behind while many people prepare to leave.
As uncertainty grows, ordinary life begins to feel increasingly fragile. The streets, familiar faces, and everyday routines around Nima take on a different meaning as the possibility of disaster becomes impossible to ignore.
Rather than following the expected logic of a disaster film, It’s Not the Time remains close to Nima and his experience of waiting. As the rumors spread and tension builds, the boundaries between reality, fear, and expectation begin to blur.
Directed by Moein Rahmanzadeh, It’s Not the Time is an independent Iranian feature film about uncertainty, anticipation, and the strange experience of continuing to live when you do not
DIRECTOR’S STATEMENT
It’s Not the Time began with a question that has stayed with me for a long time: how much of what we call reality is shaped by what we believe?
The film takes place in a town where rumors of a catastrophic earthquake begin to spread. As people leave in anticipation of the disaster, Nima chooses to remain. I was interested less in the earthquake itself than in the uncertainty surrounding it. What happens when an entire community believes something is about to happen, even though no one can truly know whether it will?
For me, this became a way to explore the fragile boundary between reality and belief. As the story progresses, what seems certain gradually becomes questionable. The film does not offer a simple answer. Instead, it asks the audience to consider how fear, expectation, and belief can shape our experience of reality.
Existentialist thought, particularly the ideas of Søren Kierkegaard, also influenced the film. I was drawn to the tension between uncertainty and the human desire for certainty: our need to find meaning even when there may be no definitive explanation.
THE FORM OF IT’S NOT THE TIME
Formally, I wanted It’s Not the Time to move away from the conventions of mainstream cinema. I drew inspiration from the French New Wave and from the raw, imperfect qualities of analogue filmmaking. As a professional colorist, I also approached the visual language of the film through my own experience with image and color. I wanted the limitations of a modest production to become part of the film’s character rather than something to hide.
I wrote, directed, produced, storyboarded, and worked on the sound design and color grading myself, alongside a small group of friends who collaborated closely throughout the production. This hands-on process allowed the film to remain closely connected to the original idea from its first frame to its final image.
Ultimately, It’s Not the Time is a film about uncertainty, belief, and the human need to make sense of what cannot be known. Rather than telling the audience what is real, I wanted to create a space in which that question remains open.
FESTIVALS & AWARDS
2024–2025
- International Disaster Film Festival (UAFF) — Best Screenplay — Award
- IndieFest — Best Asian Film — Award
- Milasa International Film Festival — Best Feature — Award
- Nawada International Film Festival — Best Feature — Award
- Nawada International Film Festival — Best First Director — Award
- World Film Festival Cannes — Best Debut — Nomination
- KingReview Film Festival — Semifinalist
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