Logline
This film narrates the professional ups and downs of Davoud Moussaei, founder and director of the publishing house "Farhang Moaser" ("Contemporary Culture"), alongside his longtime friend and partner, Kaykhosrow Shapoori.
Synopsis
Davoud Moussaei, director of "Farhang Moaser" Publishing, has been continuously active in the publishing industry for over four decades. Having begun, by his own account, as a shop assistant in a bookstore, he is today considered one of Iran’s most important publishers, thanks to the partnership of his longtime colleague, Kaykhosrow Shapoori.
Bilingual dictionaries such as "Haim," "Hezareh," and "Pooya" can be found in the home of every educated, culturally curious Iranian, and the "Encyclopedia of Art" has become an essential reference for art students.
The preparation, editing, printing, and distribution of these books along with dozens of other reference works would not have been possible without the support, planning, foresight, investment, and management of Davoud Moussaei, who has lived for more than forty years in the chiaroscuro of words. How this journey unfolded is the subject of the film WordWards.
Film Trailer
Gallery
CREDITS
Writer & Director: Hamid Jafari / Editor: Esmaeel Monsef / Director of photography: Arastoo Givi / Sound Recordist: Hasan Shabankareh / Music, Sound Design & Mix: Ensieh-Leyla Maleki / Researcher: Bahareh Bayat / Research Management Team: Firouzeh Saber, Zahra Emrani (EDF) / Additional Cameras: Khosrow Ahadzadeh / Colorist: Faramarz Beglou (PCALAB) / Dialog Editing: Hirad Alavifard / Assistant Director: Sepideh Jamshidinejhad / Assistant Editor: Mehrnoosh Vesali / English Translator: Nassim Ghiassi / Logo: Hamed Jaberha / Graphic designer, Poster & Trailer: Mohammad Zamani / Public relations and media: Hadis Rahmani / Sponsors: Tabarestan Steel Foundry, The Entrepreneurship Development Foundation for Women and Youth, Farhang Moaser Publishers
With: Davoud Moussaei, Kaykhosrow Shapoori, Moussaei’s Family, Members of “Farhang Moaser”
Artistic Consultant: Rakhshan Banietemad / Producer: Mojtaba Mirtahmasb
A Product of KARA Film Studio
MAIN CHARACTER
Davoud Moussaei is the founder and director of "Farhang Moaser" Publishing. He was born in December 1944. He lost his father at the age of seven and, as the eldest child, began supporting himself and his family from the age of twelve. His professional path started in the cold, demanding environment of a printing house. Soon after, he became an apprentice at "Azar Bookstore” opposite Tehran University working by day and studying at night.
Two or three years later, he took his first steps toward professional independence. He set up a book stall on Enghelab street in Tehran and became a book peddler an experience that made him "his own boss."
Later, he learned the craft of indexing dictionaries and encyclopedias, turning it into his trade, and gradually took up bookbinding as well. Once proficient in all these skills, Davoud Moussaei obtained the publication rights to the "Haim Dictionary" from the family of Soleiman Haim, moved into printing and publishing books, and founded the "Farhang Moaser" Publishing Institute. Over four decades in publishing and through engaging writers, linguists, translators, and experts from various fields, he has prepared, edited, and published dozens of reference books and bilingual dictionaries. Among his most prominent achievements are the bilingual dictionaries "Hezareh," "Pooya," and the "Encyclopedia of Art."
Technical Info
- Jaanebe Kalamat
- English Subtitle, 4K (3996×2160) / 24 fps / Color, Iran, 2026
- Persian
- 16:9
- Stereo + Surround 5.1
- DCP / 2K Prores / H.264 File