Mani Tilgner

Mani Tilgner, now there’s a name bouncing around the indie film circuit lately. Folks probably caught wind of him from “Holy Spider” back in 2022, a movie that didn’t exactly tiptoe around the dark corners of society. That one stirred up some real chatter, not just for its gutsy storytelling but for the way it yanked viewers into the gritty underbelly of Iran’s holy city. Tilgner’s got a knack for picking projects that don’t play it safe, and honestly, that’s pretty refreshing. Jump to 2024, and he’s attached to “The Seed of the Sacred Fig.” Bit of a mysterious title, right? But that’s kind of Tilgner’s vibe. He gravitates toward stories that are layered, heavy with symbolism, and never just surface-level drama. If you’re expecting a lighthearted romp, yeah, you’re in the wrong theater. He’s all about digging into the mess of human experience, pulling at the threads of faith, morality, and, you know, the stuff that actually keeps people up at night. And don’t even get me started on “Sheytan vojud nadarad” (which, by the way, translates to “There Is No Evil”). That film’s like four stories tangled up in questions about conscience and resistance, practically screaming for viewers to look inward and squirm a little. Tilgner isn’t just stacking up credits for the sake of it—he’s building a portfolio that challenges, provokes, and sticks with you long after the credits roll. Not everyone can pull that off, but he’s making it look easy.