Navigating personal autonomy and public acceptance, this programme invites us to discover Iran beyond headlines and clichés. With a keen sense for the contradictions of daily life, the films portray people who question the rules, carve out spaces of freedom, and pursue their own ideas of life, love, and belonging. By turns moving, playful, and thought-provoking, these shorts offer surprising perspectives on a society in transition.

Gaze
Farnoosh Samadi / Iran 2017 / 14'28" / colour / Farsi / Fic
On her way back from work, a woman witnesses something happening on the bus, and she has to decide whether to reveal it or not.

Abraham
Reza Gamini/Elnaz Ghaderpour / Iran 2024 / 13'36" / colour / Persian / Fic
A transgender teenage boy named Abraham was murdered and burned in a cave outside a small village. The main suspect is his religious father who prays in a small mosque every day.

Orthodontics
Mohammadreza Mayghani / Iran 2021 / 14'40" / colour / Arabic / Fic
Amitis is a teenage girl who always wears orthodontic headgear and is under the constant pressure of orthodontic treatment. But suddenly she does a strange thing with her friend Sara.

Solar Eclipse
Alireza Ghasemi/Raha Amirfazli / France/Iran 2021 / 14'12" / colour / Farsi / Fic
Saaghi and her two friends have come to the largest park in Teheran to take pictures of the once-in-a-century total eclipse. Mischievous and rebellious, they steal a camera stand, lie to their parents, and discuss boys as well as an upcoming party. Their wanderings lead them to a remote part of the park. As the sun disappears, Saaghi sees something that should have stayed hidden.

The Fourth Wall
Mahboobeh Kalaee / Iran 2021 / 9'50" / colour / Farsi / Ani/Exp
Home and family, relationships, desires, wishes, and everything else is summarized in a kitchen. The stuttering boy is alone there, playing with his imagination.

Mother Is a Natural Sinner
Hoda Taheri/Boris Hadzija / Germany/Iran 2024 / 15' / colour / Farsi/German / Fic
Hoda, an Iranian refugee woman, lives in exile in Germany with her boyfriend, Hadi. Due to an unexpected pregnancy, Hoda starts to examine common beliefs regarding gender roles in relationships and openly challenges the current patriarchal social norms surrounding feminine bodies and motherhood.