In Tehran’s underground art scene, two young women build a blissful world of freedom and sisterhood. But when their creative circle is exposed, they must fight to save each other.

Writer-directors Maryam Ataei and Hossein Keshavarz make their Festival directorial debut with a uniquely current film exploring artistic practice and community in contemporary Iran. Through bold cinematography and raw performances, the pair capture a clever, careful deconstruction of the line between theatricality and reality. The result is the permeation of a vibrant kindness and a creeping tension — a powerful, unexpected emotional rhythm.

Central to the narrative is an authentic, radical care between women dedicated to holding one another in community through artistic and personal upheaval. As such, The Friend’s House is Here is a rare film audiences aren’t often gifted — one that reflects the softness and humanity of the Persian populace, a mass of passionate young artists for whom expression is an ultimate form of freedom. As life imitates art (and vice versa), the theater becomes a microcosm of modern Iran — the maintenance of artistic dignity the ultimate act of resistance. — CA

Available in person. Also available online for the public (January 29–February 1) and credentialed press and industry (January 28–February 1).