g], and I tried to be very honest and share all reflections on the subject in front of the camera. 

The Angel of Death is a character that Amiryousefi's films have featured before.  From my very first film, there has been some kind of angel of death present, and this time, it is again,  the filmmaker explains. And audiences in his home country are familiar with the idea.  It is very regular for Iranian people to feel the Angel of Death beside them. I tried to make it change into something else in the middle of the film, where we can see that it is rather the double of the filmmaker. But the Angel of Death represents death as it is viewed and believed in Iranian society. 

Does the Iranian filmmaker have any hopes for how The Banning Curse will be received by audiences at the LFF?  I don't know how the audience will react, but I'm very happy that the film will be screened, I hope that this look at life, full of funny moments, full of anger, full of sorrow, can connect with the audience. 

Amiryousefi's films have long been banned in his home country, but he also expects The Banning Curse to be seen there.  Luckily, nowadays there are so many ways to show films to the people,  he says.  There are a lot of spaces, and virtual screenings and streaming, so you can see people following Iranian films in those ways. 

Whether Iran's restrictions will ever loosen is another matter, but Amiryousefi is hopeful.  Anything can happen, and I'm optimistic,  shares Amiryousefi.  I'd hope that there would be no problem for anyone, including me, to release films in Iran. 

The film's references run from Italian classics to Hollywood blockbusters to Iranian cinema, and the director says they're deliberate:  For me, Fellini is the greatest filmmaker in film history, and his films, especially La Strada and Amarcord, have a special place in my heart. But when it comes to Nolan, I was trying to connect to the filmmaking of today. And there are also some references to Iranian filmmakers, [such as] paying tribute to Abbas Kiarostami [and others]. 

The Banning Curse, courtesy of BFI London Film Festival

For Iranian directors, prison is a real risk, and Mohammad Rasoulof is among those who have served time. Does Amiryousefi worry about the same fate?  When I was young, I was much more fearless,  quips Amiryousefi, who is 54.  Now that my hair is turning gray, I am somehow more conservative. 

The director wraps up our chat with another joke about his age:  When going through the archival footage, I saw someone who looked very familiar, and I told the editor to rewind. And I saw myself much younger with black, longer hair. It was me, but now, I feel I'm so different from that version.