“When I asked the audience how they felt about the film, many of them said it was tragic but not pessimist.”

— Hesam Farahmand, director of Raha

Hesam Farahmand, director of the acclaimed Iranian social drama Raha, recently sat down with us for an insightful interview. Produced by Saeed Khani, Raha is one of the standout films currently playing in Iranian cinemas, tackling social issues with nuance and steering clear of the tired clichés often seen in the genre. That might be one reason why—along with its other distinct qualities—the film took home the Crystal Simorgh for Best First Film at the 43rd Fajr Film Festival.

The cast features Shahab Hosseini, Ghazal Shakeri, Zoha Esmaeilifar, Arman Mirzaee, and Mohammadreza Samian. Marzieh Boroomand also joined the project as the director’s advisor.

With his debut feature, Farahmand has already established a voice of his own—one that has resonated with both audiences and critics. He began his film career in 1995 as an assistant director on Kiumars Pourahmad’s Strange Sisters, and continued working with Pourahmad on several films, including The Longest Night. After years of assistant directing, Farahmand went on to create a number of short and documentary films, eventually leading to Raha.

To mark the release of Raha, journalist Ali Pakzad sat down with the director, producer and the three young actors for an in-depth conversation, produced by Seven Skies Entertainment.

Watch Hesam farahmand’s full interview on Seven Skies Entertainment’s YouTube channel and remember to turn on auto-translated subtitles in your preferred language.

www.youtube.com/@sevenskies_co