Social drama joins North Macedonia competition
Iranian social mystery drama ‘Gambler,’ directed by Mohsen Bahari, will compete in the competition section of the fifth Across the Lake International Film Festival, set to run from July 8 to 15 in the North Macedonian cities of Dojran, Strumica and Gevgelija.
The film, produced by Sajad Nasrollahi and backed by the Farabi Cinema Foundation, will make its international debut after being introduced at the 2026 Cannes Film Market. The foundation’s international affairs department is handling the film’s overseas rollout.
‘Gambler,’ Bahari’s first feature film, follows the aftermath of a cyberattack on a domestic bank, a crisis that casts suspicion on one of the institution’s programmers and triggers a race to uncover the truth and safeguard national security. The cast includes Kourosh Tahami, Armin Rahimian, Shabnam Ghorbani, Amir Nourozi, Roshan Rostampour and Emad Emami.
The film previously screened at the Fajr Film Festival, where Bahari won the Crystal Simorgh for Best First-Time Director. The production also earned five additional Crystal Simorgh nominations.
The Across the Lake festival, which spotlights cinema from the Balkans and Mediterranean region while welcoming selected international works, will place a special focus on contemporary Iranian filmmaking this year.
Festival director Jani Bojadzi said the event would feature Iranian cinema as its country focus and host a world premiere from Iran. “I am pleased that we are recognized as an important festival that hosts world premieres,” he said.