29th Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival (07.11-23.11.2025)
Actor Golshifteh Farahani and artist Shirin Neshat unite in a powerful film reflecting on Iran’s past and present.
On the eve of losing her family estate, actress Homa is blackmailed by a government agent with a compromising tape. Forced into a real-time video call with her estranged family, which has been exiled since the 1979 Revolution, decades of silence explode into raw confrontation. As old wounds resurface and accusations fly, the line between past and present blurs. Secrets unravel, betrayals are laid bare, and the long-buried fate of two sons lost to history comes roaring back. Told entirely through the lens of this high-stakes virtual meeting, the film is a searing portrait of exile, shame, and the cost of truth.
Using this method, director Homayoun Ghanizadeh gives his amazing actors all the freedom they need, which makes this cinematic experience truly a masterpiece. He explains: “For the first time in the history of modern Iranian cinema, exiled and banned actors shared the same screen with actors inside Iran, proving that through art, we can erase borders and the systematic censorship that has been woven into the fabric of Iranian artists’ lives. This is a wonder of cinema, where truly acclaimed actors shine together; even though fixated on a single frame, they are free to be the best they can be.”
Nikolaj Nikitin
29th Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival (07.11-23.11.2025)
Actor Golshifteh Farahani and artist Shirin Neshat unite in a powerful film reflecting on Iran’s past and present.
On the eve of losing her family estate, actress Homa is blackmailed by a government agent with a compromising tape. Forced into a real-time video call with her estranged family, which has been exiled since the 1979 Revolution, decades of silence explode into raw confrontation. As old wounds resurface and accusations fly, the line between past and present blurs. Secrets unravel, betrayals are laid bare, and the long-buried fate of two sons lost to history comes roaring back. Told entirely through the lens of this high-stakes virtual meeting, the film is a searing portrait of exile, shame, and the cost of truth.
Using this method, director Homayoun Ghanizadeh gives his amazing actors all the freedom they need, which makes this cinematic experience truly a masterpiece. He explains: “For the first time in the history of modern Iranian cinema, exiled and banned actors shared the same screen with actors inside Iran, proving that through art, we can erase borders and the systematic censorship that has been woven into the fabric of Iranian artists’ lives. This is a wonder of cinema, where truly acclaimed actors shine together; even though fixated on a single frame, they are free to be the best they can be.”
Nikolaj Nikitin
Actor Golshifteh Farahani and artist Shirin Neshat unite in a powerful film reflecting on Iran’s past and present.
On the eve of losing her family estate, actress Homa is blackmailed by a government agent with a compromising tape. Forced into a real-time video call with her estranged family, which has been exiled since the 1979 Revolution, decades of silence explode into raw confrontation. As old wounds resurface and accusations fly, the line between past and present blurs. Secrets unravel, betrayals are laid bare, and the long-buried fate of two sons lost to history comes roaring back. Told entirely through the lens of this high-stakes virtual meeting, the film is a searing portrait of exile, shame, and the cost of truth.
Using this method, director Homayoun Ghanizadeh gives his amazing actors all the freedom they need, which makes this cinematic experience truly a masterpiece. He explains: “For the first time in the history of modern Iranian cinema, exiled and banned actors shared the same screen with actors inside Iran, proving that through art, we can erase borders and the systematic censorship that has been woven into the fabric of Iranian artists’ lives. This is a wonder of cinema, where truly acclaimed actors shine together; even though fixated on a single frame, they are free to be the best they can be.”
Nikolaj Nikitin
Info
Rating
-
Production year
2025
Global distributor
--
Local distributor
Pimedate Ööde Filmifestival MTÜ
In cinema
11/18/2025