A film shot in secret in Tehran and smuggled out of Iran has been shown at the BFI London Film Festival, according to the AFP news agency.
The Friend's House Is Here follows two best friends and roommates in the Iranian capital: Pari, a playwright and actress, and Hana, a dancer. They belong to a community of young underground artists, AFP reported.
In the film, Pari stages plays in secret because she refuses to seek authorisation from the authorities, according to AFP. The film is in Persian.
It was directed by the married couple Hossein Keshavarz and Maryam Ataei. AFP said it interviewed both directors about the project.
The film won a Special Jury Prize at the Sundance festival in the United States in January. Other descriptions of the award differ slightly in wording, and one film database lists it as a US Dramatic Special Jury Award for Ensemble Cast.
The film is due to be released in the United States on 4 December, according to AFP. No information had been found on a UK release or any wider release.
Mr Keshavarz told AFP the film aims to show that, in his words, "within this kind of tumultuous time, these people are still living their lives and still doing their art".
He described the film as a "love letter" to the Iranian people and to what he called an "amazing generation of artists". He also said the experience of presenting it was "bittersweet".
The directors said they wanted to show independent women and girls who live together and help each other, AFP reported.
Ms Ataei told AFP that she and Mr Keshavarz used to go to see many underground plays. She said they were inspired when they met a group of improvisation actors.
AFP reported that the filmmakers also drew inspiration from artists who were arrested after posting dance videos or performing in secret.
The actresses do not wear the headscarf, even on streets or in cafés, AFP reported. The agency said this made filming "more difficult".
AFP said the film nearly did not get made because of the 2025 bombings of Tehran by the United States and Israel and because the authorities cut internet communications. The descriptions of conditions in Iran in this report come from the filmmakers and AFP. No response from Iranian officials had been reported.
Mr Keshavarz also told AFP that, in his view, the war was "basically never ending" and the economy was in free fall. He described it as a very difficult time in Iran.
The directors have divided their time between the United States and Iran for about 20 years, according to AFP.
US public radio network NPR, which reported on the film after its Sundance premiere, said it was set just after last summer's war between Iran and Israel. AFP refers to the 2025 bombings in Tehran.
NPR reported that the filmmakers raced to finish the film and smuggle it out of Iran between war, protests and government crackdowns. It said street concerts, galleries and underground theatre continue in Iran despite the crackdowns.
NPR also reported that the two lead actresses could not attend the Sundance premiere because of the US travel ban. A review of the London screening by The Reviews Hub said they were denied visas.
Speaking to NPR in February, Mr Keshavarz said an actress had been injured at a protest and could not go to hospital because she feared arrest. NPR said the protest took place the month before.
According to NPR, dancing in front of historical monuments for social media is illegal under Iranian law. AFP said many Iranian women do not wear the headscarf in defiance of the law.
The Reviews Hub described the film as shot guerrilla-style and smuggled across the border. NPR's report said the film was in the US Dramatic Competition at Sundance, the US independent film festival held in January.
Film databases list the production company as Alma Linda Films and the cinematographer as Ali Ehsani. The cast includes Mahshad Bahram, Hana Mana, Farzad Karen and Zohreh Pirnia.
The film had already premiered at Sundance, so the London event is its UK showing rather than a world premiere. No source had reported an official Iranian position on the film.
Photo: # IranOpenAlbum (Steve Zind) / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0)
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