The Cinematheque

This documentary by director Afsaneh Salari, co-founder of the Docmaniacs collective of female filmmakers in Iran, tells the story of Assad and Sharbanoo Safari, a couple who fled war-torn Afghanistan thirty years ago and sought a more peaceful life in Iran. Today, their 15-member family endures the discriminatory policies imposed by the Iranian government on Afghans, which prevents the refugee couple’s children (and children’s children) the right to Iranian citizenship, land ownership, and even freedom of movement. Taghi, the Safaris’ youngest son and focal point of this sensitive film, must wrestle with a future where pursuing a profession outside of state-approved manual labour means leaving Iran for Afghanistan, a homeland he has never known. Salari’s nuanced and thought-provoking first feature-length work earned multiple awards on the documentary festival circuit.

In Farsi with English subtitles

Jury Special Mention for Best Documentary Feature
Visions du Réel 2020

Post-screening audience discussion moderated by PELAN.