Film Forum

WINNER, SPECIAL JURY AWARD FOR ENSEMBLE CAST (U.S. DRAMATIC COMPETITION),
2026 SUNDANCE FILM FESTIVAL
 
In Tehran’s underground art scene, Pari, a theater director, and Hanna, a dancer, are roommates, best friends, actors, and professional partners, navigating rehearsals, performances, and the quiet rituals of everyday life while confronting the ethical compromises and political pressures that increasingly shape their futures. Shot in secret but far removed from familiar portrayals of Iran, directors Ataei and Keshavarz blur the boundaries between theatrical performance and lived experience, crafting a luminous portrait of sisterhood where art becomes inseparable from life and even the smallest creative choices can become acts of resistance.

Presented with support from The Endowed Fund for Emerging Filmmakers
 
2026     96 MIN.     IRAN / USA     IN PERSIAN WITH ENGLISH SUBTITLES
GREENWICH ENTERTAINMENT

Reviews

“POWERFUL... A daring portrait of friendship and community...”
– Robert Daniels, RogerEbert.com

“A sophisticated and heroic celebration both of Iran’s brave communities of underground artists... and of the country’s resilient women who recently led the pivotal ‘Woman, Life, Freedom’ movement.... The film is energized by a gentle and joyous quality... like a compassionate gift, given in gratitude to all artists who refuse to be silenced.”
– Tomris Laffly, Variety

“Stirring... the filmmakers... operated without government permission, necessitating all outdoor scenes to be recorded in one or two takes to avoid arrest. Their defiant 96-minute film, whose cast were denied visas to attend its Sundance premiere, was still in post-production when the regime enforced a near-total internet blackout to dampen nationwide protests, forcing the crew to smuggle it out of the country. All of this looms uneasily and implicitly over the proceedings, flickering beneath its scenes of group conviviality and frequent use of an unspecified, ominous ‘they’. But [the film] is far from dour, suspicious or even expressly political. This is, against great odds and surely some western expectations, a beguiling hangout film—an invitation to the dinner party, a fascinating window into a group of underground artists who carry on despite the risks, a representation of creativity under surveillance. A snapshot of everyday resistance, the fight for a freedom from the bottom up.”
– Adrian Horton, The Guardian

“A breezy, buoyant look at bohemian life... The fact that Keshavarz and Ataei’s extraordinary slice of life under a repressive regime had to be smuggled out of the country in order to play in Park City only underlines the importance of free expression as a form of resistance. Amazing...”
– David Fear, Rolling Stone