A subtly textured self-portrait of Soraya, a free-spirited 16-year-old Afghan artist in Iran who has been trying for five years to make her way to Europe. She chillingly captures everything on her phone, while pouring her fears, worries and joy into extraordinary works of art, inhabited by recurring figures – a loyal fox, a watchful pink moon, and an ever-laughing clown.
* Contains images depicting domestic violence.
Co-director Soraya Akhlaghi
Screenplay Mehrdad Oskouei, Amir Adibparvar
Cinematography Soraya Akhlaghi
Editing Amir Adibparvar
Sound Hossein Ghoorchian
Music Afshin Azizi
Animation Mohammad Lotfali
Producer Mehrdad Oskouei
Co-producers Rebecca Lichtenfeld, Chandra Jessee
Production Oskouei Films
Co-production InMaat Foundation
AUDIO: Farsi
SUBTITLE: Romanian, English
25
April,
Saturday
Cinema Elvire Popesco
3:30 PM
77'
Followed by Q&A with director Mehrdad Oskouei
Mehrdad Oskouei
Mehrdad Oskouei
Mehrdad Oskouei (b. 1969, Tehran) is a celebrated Iranian independent documentary filmmaker, producer, and photographer, known for his deeply humanistic work on marginalized groups, youth, and women, and acclaimed for his tetralogy on incarcerated youth. Oskouei received the 2010 Prince Claus Award and the 2016 True Vision Award at the True/False Film Fest. A founding member of the Institute of Anthropology and Culture in Iran, he also mentors emerging documentary filmmakers.
26
April,
Sunday
Apollo111 Cinema
5:30 PM
77'
Followed by a discussion on refugee rights, with Gabriela Leu (UNHCR)
awards and festivals
Award for Best Film – International Competition – International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam (IDFA) 2025 CPH:DOX 2026 Glasgow Film Festival 2026 One World Prague 2026