Sundance 2025: Filmmaker Alireza Khatami used Premiere Pro and After Effects to bring Sundance debut “The Things You Kill” to life

Image Source: Sundance Institute, Photo by Bartosz Świniarski

Celebrated Iranian American director Alireza Khatami (“Terrestrial Verses”) is making his Sundance Film Festival debut with his third feature, “The Things You Kill.” This quietly insidious psychological thriller follows a university professor haunted by the suspicious death of his ailing mother, who then coerces his enigmatic gardener to execute a cold-blooded act of vengeance.

As the writer, director, co-editor and co-producer of the film, Khatami used Adobe’s suite of video editing tools to bring his creative vision to life: “Premiere Pro was our go-to for editing, thanks to its speed and stability, and After Effects was critical for the complex visual effects we needed.”

“The Things You Kill” premieres at Sundance on January 24th. We sat down with Khatami to learn more about his workflow on this ambitious feature, seven years in the making. Read on for more below.

How did you first get involved with this project?

The journey started unexpectedly when I was sent a novel to consider for adaptation. Ten pages in, I was bored. The story wasn’t connecting with me, so I impulsively started sketching my own treatment. What began as a quick distraction gradually morphed into an autofictional script—a deeply personal story drawn from my own life.

That was back in 2018. Seven years, countless drafts, and one pandemic later, we’re in the World Cinema Dramatic Competition at Sundance.

Where were you when you found out you got into Sundance? How did you feel?

I was at home, refreshing my email like a nervous teenager waiting for a college acceptance letter. When the confirmation came, I felt relieved, like a giant weight had been lifted off my shoulders.

But then the nerves hit. This is such a personal story, and the thought of sharing it with the world was both thrilling and terrifying. It’s one thing to make a film; it’s another to hand it over to an audience.

How do you begin a project/set up your workspace?

I shoot economically, so there aren’t many options for cutting a scene—it’s already edited in my head before I sit down at the timeline. When I start, my focus is on getting the flow and rhythm of each scene right. Scene by scene, I refine, trying not to obsess over the larger story too soon.

Once the scenes are individually polished, I begin the real work: discovering their order. That’s when the characters’ arcs and the story’s emotional beats come into focus. Editing is like solving a puzzle—you know the pieces fit, but you have to figure out how.

Tell us about a favorite scene or moment from this project and why it stands out to you.

There’s a confession scene at the heart of the film that nearly broke me. It has one long take, and while it anchors the moment emotionally, we needed to carefully build the tension leading up to it. We had two simple setups, but deciding which lines should be on-camera versus off-camera was complex.

In the end, it became a dance of timing, perspective, and nuance. When it finally clicked, the scene felt alive.

What were some specific post-production challenges you faced that were unique to your project? How did you go about solving them?

The editing process for “The Things You Kill” started on set, where my co-editor, Selda Taskin, and I spent two hours each evening assembling and reviewing footage. This real-time editing helped us stay on track creatively. By the end of production, we had a complete rough cut. Post-production continued remotely for nearly four months, with me in Toronto and Selda in Istanbul.

To manage resources, we avoided fancy tools and instead shared low-res backups and Adobe file versions. It was a scrappy but effective solution. Subtitles, a major challenge for our multilingual film, were handled smoothly using Premiere Pro’s caption tracks, allowing us to shuffle between languages effortlessly. It’s a simple yet effective tool.

What Adobe tools did you use on this project and why did you originally choose them?

Premiere Pro was our go-to for editing, thanks to its speed and stability. After Effects was critical for the complex visual effects we needed, and Photoshop helped us with key assets for the title design. I’ve been using Adobe tools since I was a teenager, so the familiarity was a huge bonus. They made it possible to juggle all the creative demands of this project without losing momentum.

If you could share one tip about Premiere Pro, what would it be?

Master Nested Sequences. They’re like editing superpowers. They let you focus on the big picture without getting bogged down by details. Plus, they’re great for keeping your timeline clean and your sanity intact.

Who is your creative inspiration and why?

The classic Persian poets. Their mastery of rhythm, structure, and emotional depth feels like a masterclass in editing. They create awe-inspiring moments not with visuals but with the power of words and timing.

I try to bring that same sense of poetry into my films—finding the emotional beats that linger long after the story ends.

What’s something tough you’ve had to face in your career, and how did you overcome it? What advice do you have for aspiring filmmakers or content creators?

Navigating the blunt Orientalism often imposed on Middle Eastern filmmakers has been an ongoing challenge. I’ve had to learn to say no and stand my ground, even if it meant waiting years to make the film I truly believed in.

My advice? Make a film that scares the hell out of you. And if you’re an editor, learn to dance. It’ll teach you rhythm, timing, and the art of gracefully stepping on toes when necessary.