Canadian-Persian director Mostafa Keshvari’s film follows seven people trapped in a lift, one of whom, an Asian, is believed to be a virus carrier
Sunayana Suresh (BOMBAY TIMES; March 30, 2020)

The first Coronavirus movie is ready and its trailer is here. Canadian-Persian filmmaker Mostafa Keshvari’s English film, Corona, is said to be a suspense drama that carries the tagline ‘Fear is a virus’. Shot in a single take, the film follows seven neighbours, all belonging to different racial backgrounds, who are trapped in an elevator during a pandemic. Amid discussions about a virus in the building, one of them, an Asian-origin woman, coughs, and the lift stalls.

Mostafa, who wrote the story and filmed it in February before the Coronavirus affliction was declared a pandemic, says it was the various instances of racism that inspired the story. “When the virus first broke out, there was open racism towards Chinese-origin Canadians. The virus was referred to as the ‘Chinese virus’. As a filmmaker, who belongs to a minority community, I could relate to them and decided to use my film to fight racism,” he says.

Mostafa, who condemns xenophobia, says one of the biggest takeaways from his film is his learnings about dharma right from his young age when he was influenced by Buddhism. He says, “Today, the fact is that the virus doesn't belong to one specific race anymore and all of humanity must come together to defeat it. We all have a role in this universe to fulfill. I may not be able to save lives like doctors during the pandemic, but I can make films that could potentially save lots of people from discrimination and racism by changing their perspective.” Mostafa also adds that his diverse cast and crew includes people from various nationalities, which included Mrinmoyee Ghose, an Indian student there who worked as his art director.