San Francisco Celebration of Iranian Cinema
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🎬 ANNUAL CELEBRATION OF IRANIAN CINEMA — SAN FRANCISCO
Join us for an unforgettable celebration of Iranian cinema at the Koret Auditorium inside San Francisco’s renowned de Young museum.
Presented by Farhang Foundation in partnership with the UCLA Film & Television Archive, this special two-day program features four acclaimed feature films making their San Francisco premieres, accompanied by award-winning selections from the Farhang Short Film Festival.
📅 Friday, September 25 & Sunday, September 27, 2026
📍 Koret Auditorium, de Young museum
50 Hagiwara Tea Garden Drive, San Francisco, CA 94118
🎟 Tickets: $20
FILM PROGRAM
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 25
4:30 PM — DIVINE COMEDY
San Francisco Premiere
Directed by Ali Asgari | 98 minutes
An internationally celebrated Iranian filmmaker has never been permitted to show his work in Iran. When his latest film is denied a screening permit, he and his determined producer embark on a moped-powered journey through an eccentric underground world in search of an audience. A sharp, inventive comedy about artistic freedom and the absurdities—and dangers—facing filmmakers in Iran.
In Persian with English subtitles.
Preceded by SON
Directed by Saman Hosseinpuor | 15 minutes
Farhang Short Film Festival Audience Choice Award winner
In a remote Kurdish village, a mother searching for her son after he fails to return from military service discovers a truth about his identity that will change their lives forever.
In Kurdish with English subtitles.
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 25
7:00 PM — OH, WHAT HAPPY DAYS
San Francisco Premiere
Directed by Homayoun Ghanizadeh | 107 minutes
Family secrets and long-buried betrayals erupt during an extraordinary video call spanning three generations of an Iranian family. Featuring a remarkable ensemble cast including Golshifteh Farahani, Shirin Neshat, Navid Mohammadzadeh, Ali Nasirian and Payman Maadi.
In Persian with English subtitles.
Preceded by WHERE THE WINDS DIE
Directed by Pejman Alipour | 13 minutes
Farhang Short Film Festival Third Prize winner
This powerful watercolor-style animated short captures the moment the peaceful Kurdish city of Sardasht was shattered by a chemical weapons attack in 1987.
In Persian with English subtitles.
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 27
4:30 PM — MORTICIAN
San Francisco Premiere
Directed by Abdolreza Kahani | 95 minutes
Winner of the audience-voted Sean Connery Prize at the Edinburgh International Film Festival. In wintry Canada, an Iranian émigré who performs Islamic ritual washing of the dead loses his job and is hired by an enigmatic exiled pop star to assist with one final public protest. Their unlikely alliance becomes the heart of this compelling slow-burn thriller.
Starring Nima Sadr, Gola and Pouya Razavi.
In Persian with English subtitles.
Preceded by ABRAHAM
Directed by Elnaz Ghaderpour and Reza Gamini | 14 minutes
Farhang Short Film Festival Second Prize winner
While investigating the murder of a young man whose body is discovered in a cave, a small-town police officer uncovers a devastating family secret.
In Persian with English subtitles.
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 27
7:00 PM — WOMAN AND CHILD
San Francisco Premiere
Directed by Saeed Roustaee | 131 minutes
Parinaz Izadyar stars as Mahnaz, a widowed nurse and mother hoping to begin a new life with her partner, played by Payman Maadi. When a sudden tragedy and shocking betrayal upend her world, Mahnaz begins a desperate struggle against the school system, the courts and her own family.
In Persian with English subtitles.
Preceded by THE GRANNY AND FISHES
Directed by Maria Mavati and Ehsan Farokhi Fard | 27 minutes
Farhang Short Film Festival First Prize winner
After drought and failed irrigation projects transform Lake Hāmūn into a dust bowl, nearly every villager leaves—except one elderly woman whose solitary routine of gathering dead fish forms the subject of this quietly affecting documentary.
In Persian with English subtitles.
Discover stories that inspire, challenge and captivate at the Annual Celebration of Iranian Cinema in San Francisco.
🎟 TICKETS:
Farhang.org/CinemaSF
Join us for an unforgettable celebration of Iranian cinema at the Koret Auditorium inside San Francisco’s renowned de Young museum.
Presented by Farhang Foundation in partnership with the UCLA Film & Television Archive, this special two-day program features four acclaimed feature films making their San Francisco premieres, accompanied by award-winning selections from the Farhang Short Film Festival.
📅 Friday, September 25 & Sunday, September 27, 2026
📍 Koret Auditorium, de Young museum
50 Hagiwara Tea Garden Drive, San Francisco, CA 94118
🎟 Tickets: $20
FILM PROGRAM
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 25
4:30 PM — DIVINE COMEDY
San Francisco Premiere
Directed by Ali Asgari | 98 minutes
An internationally celebrated Iranian filmmaker has never been permitted to show his work in Iran. When his latest film is denied a screening permit, he and his determined producer embark on a moped-powered journey through an eccentric underground world in search of an audience. A sharp, inventive comedy about artistic freedom and the absurdities—and dangers—facing filmmakers in Iran.
In Persian with English subtitles.
Preceded by SON
Directed by Saman Hosseinpuor | 15 minutes
Farhang Short Film Festival Audience Choice Award winner
In a remote Kurdish village, a mother searching for her son after he fails to return from military service discovers a truth about his identity that will change their lives forever.
In Kurdish with English subtitles.
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 25
7:00 PM — OH, WHAT HAPPY DAYS
San Francisco Premiere
Directed by Homayoun Ghanizadeh | 107 minutes
Family secrets and long-buried betrayals erupt during an extraordinary video call spanning three generations of an Iranian family. Featuring a remarkable ensemble cast including Golshifteh Farahani, Shirin Neshat, Navid Mohammadzadeh, Ali Nasirian and Payman Maadi.
In Persian with English subtitles.
Preceded by WHERE THE WINDS DIE
Directed by Pejman Alipour | 13 minutes
Farhang Short Film Festival Third Prize winner
This powerful watercolor-style animated short captures the moment the peaceful Kurdish city of Sardasht was shattered by a chemical weapons attack in 1987.
In Persian with English subtitles.
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 27
4:30 PM — MORTICIAN
San Francisco Premiere
Directed by Abdolreza Kahani | 95 minutes
Winner of the audience-voted Sean Connery Prize at the Edinburgh International Film Festival. In wintry Canada, an Iranian émigré who performs Islamic ritual washing of the dead loses his job and is hired by an enigmatic exiled pop star to assist with one final public protest. Their unlikely alliance becomes the heart of this compelling slow-burn thriller.
Starring Nima Sadr, Gola and Pouya Razavi.
In Persian with English subtitles.
Preceded by ABRAHAM
Directed by Elnaz Ghaderpour and Reza Gamini | 14 minutes
Farhang Short Film Festival Second Prize winner
While investigating the murder of a young man whose body is discovered in a cave, a small-town police officer uncovers a devastating family secret.
In Persian with English subtitles.
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 27
7:00 PM — WOMAN AND CHILD
San Francisco Premiere
Directed by Saeed Roustaee | 131 minutes
Parinaz Izadyar stars as Mahnaz, a widowed nurse and mother hoping to begin a new life with her partner, played by Payman Maadi. When a sudden tragedy and shocking betrayal upend her world, Mahnaz begins a desperate struggle against the school system, the courts and her own family.
In Persian with English subtitles.
Preceded by THE GRANNY AND FISHES
Directed by Maria Mavati and Ehsan Farokhi Fard | 27 minutes
Farhang Short Film Festival First Prize winner
After drought and failed irrigation projects transform Lake Hāmūn into a dust bowl, nearly every villager leaves—except one elderly woman whose solitary routine of gathering dead fish forms the subject of this quietly affecting documentary.
In Persian with English subtitles.
Discover stories that inspire, challenge and captivate at the Annual Celebration of Iranian Cinema in San Francisco.
🎟 TICKETS:
Farhang.org/CinemaSF
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Where is it happening?
de Young Museum, The Summer of Love Experience, 50 Hagiwara Tea Garden Dr, San Francisco, CA 94118, United States
Event Location & Nearby Stays:
Know what’s Happening Next — before everyone else does.
Host or PublisherFarhang Foundation
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