Asian Pop-Up Cinema Film Festival: Shorts Series #1 Iranian Perspectives

Iranian Perspectives

Total Runtime: 75 minutes

Glitter

Iran | Drama | 2025 | 13 minutes

Persian with English subtitles

Director: Farideh Shafiei

When a young director casts her boyfriend in a stage production, his refusal to wear make-up or step outside rigid gender norms exposes the invisible boundaries shaping their lives. A sharp reflection on the quiet courage required to challenge patriarchal expectations.

Health Center

[Official Competition]

Iran | Drama | 2025 | 15 minutes

Persian with English subtitles

Director: Yaser Barzegar

On the eve of a virginity examination, a young woman and her fiancé confront impossible expectations, forcing two clinical interns into an ethical dilemma. This gripping drama examines the weight of oppressive customs and the resilience of those caught in their path.

Holy Heaviness

Iran | Animation | 2025 | 10 minutes

No Dialogue

Directors: Farnoosh Abedi, Negah Khezre Fardyardad, Mohammad Ghaffari

A wordless meditation on grief, this haunting animation traces the unbearable heaviness left by departed loved ones and the fragile, necessary steps toward renewal, reminding us that letting go opens space for life to continue.

Summer Triangle

Iran | Drama | 2025 | 8 minutes

Persian with English subtitles

Directors: Maryam Esmaeili, Ali Babai

On a rooftop search for her missing cat, a girl encounters a boy about to attempt suicide and teaches him to harness his imagination. A tender and visually poetic story about courage, human connection, and the healing power of creativity.

The Tortoise

Iran | Drama | 2025 | 14 minutes

Persian with English subtitles

Director: Amirreza Jalalian

In a land of rigid rock, a stone-faced old man takes his own life. Returning home from the army, his son must confront his father’s death and the inherited burdens of a society bound by strict customs.

Warden

Iran | Drama | 2026 | 15 minutes

Persian with English subtitles

Director: Sabah Mohammadi

Zivar, supervisor of a girls’ dormitory, struggles to balance strict responsibility with empathy when a student returns late. This intimate drama examines the pressures and moral complexities of life under a patriarchal system.

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