The Pig

Mani Haghighi follows up his inventive period murder mystery A Dragon Arrives! with a energetic and totally twister black comedy about artistic vanity. Hasan, a film director of some merit is frustrated, bored, and lovesick, to the point of hitting the walls. He has been blacklisted by the government, and has not been able to make a film in two years. Meanwhile, his muse and former lover Shiva is shooting a film with Hasan's rival and nemesis Sohrab instead. But worst of all: One by one, Iran's most renowned filmmakers have fallen victim of a mysterious serial killer, and Hasan is infuriated because the killer seems totally uninterested in killing him. PEG

Mani Haghighi (b. 1969) is an Iranian theatre director, actor, and filmmaker. With a background in philosophy and cultural studies, he has gone on to direct a number of documentaries and fiction films, several of which have premiered at the Berlinale. His films often mix elements of comedy and other genres with criticism of society. Haghighi is one of the main guests at this year's festival.