At daybreak, a soldier on guard duty on the deserted beach of an Iranian island sees a ballot box fall out of the sky. Shortly afterwards, a young woman turns up to collect the votes of the scattered inhabitants. The latter, enthusiastic and deeply convinced that her mission is justified, comes up against the unwillingness and scepticism of the sol- dier. Confronted with a series of absurd events during their adventures, they are both induced to reconsider their prejudices and to get to know each other.

“With Secret Ballot I wanted to explore the effects of democracy when it occurs in a society which seems to function along its own set of rules. This film puts forward several points of view and the interpretations of those who impose their own ideas of democracy on a society. The innocent idealism of the election agent is doomed to sink into oblivion but she is woken by reality. She learns that she has to transform her ideals with a more pragmatic, meaningful approach which takes the population into account.” Babak Payami