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- What the film shows about Tehran’s underground arts scene
- How the filmmakers captured scenes under surveillance
- Protests, crackdowns and the risks the cast faced
- Smuggling the footage: the risky path to an international premiere
- Barriers to attending festivals and the US visa issue
- Creative roots: the team behind the movie
- A wider crackdown on Iranian artists, and one well-known case
- Where they go next: projects and hopes for distribution
At Sundance this year, a quietly made Iranian feature stunned audiences and jurors alike. Shot in Tehran under constant risk, The Friend’s House Is Here captures a defiant youth culture and earned a jury prize for its ensemble cast.
What the film shows about Tehran’s underground arts scene
The drama takes place in the weeks after last summer’s Iran-Israel clashes. It follows two roommates who navigate the city’s underground music shows, art pop-ups and guerrilla theater.
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All dialogue is in Persian and the film centers on young creatives who stage performances and post forbidden videos. One heroine performs with an off‑stage theater troupe. The other posts dance clips in front of historic monuments — actions that can draw legal punishment.
The movie insists on joy and companionship even as the characters face growing pressure from authorities. Small gestures — laughing off hijab enforcement, flirting in a crowded flat — become acts of resistance.
How the filmmakers captured scenes under surveillance
Directors Maryam Ataei and Hossein Keshavarz shot the picture in secret. They used hidden cameras and recorded only a few takes on the streets to avoid detection.
Practical steps they took
- Minimal gear and small crews to blend in.
- Friends and family stood in as extras to reduce exposure.
- Street scenes were filmed in one or two passes to stay under the radar.
They finished principal photography in October, then entered post‑production as nationwide protests erupted.
Protests, crackdowns and the risks the cast faced
The same generation portrayed in the film has been at the center of mass street protests. Authorities have responded with arrests and lethal force.
Keshavarz describes a climate where artists are repeatedly targeted. Filmmakers he named include those barred from work, imprisoned or facing legal reprisals for speaking out.
During one demonstration, an actress from the film suffered facial injuries from pellet fire. She avoided hospitals for fear of arrest. Support from sympathetic medical staff helped preserve her sight.
Fear was constant — a threat that hung over both the making of the film and the people in it.
Smuggling the footage: the risky path to an international premiere
With Iran curbing internet and monitoring movement, the team had to move their work out quietly. Two crew members drove through checkpoints and crossed into Turkey carrying the film on a hard drive.
They concealed the footage inside unrelated files and even attached it to a religious movie on the drive, hoping it would avoid inspection.
- Hours-long drives and numerous checkpoints.
- Files disguised to reduce suspicion.
- Upload and transfer completed once the team was safe.
Those who risked the route called their actions heroic when the film finally made it to Sundance.
Barriers to attending festivals and the US visa issue
Although the film screened in Park City, two lead actresses could not travel to the U.S. because of visa restrictions tied to U.S. policy. The directors found the irony bitter: a film made in secret to escape suppression was blocked from sharing its creators.
The Sundance premiere happened without some of its stars, highlighting how geopolitics can shape who gets to tell their own story on the global stage.
Creative roots: the team behind the movie
Ataei and Keshavarz make work from both sides of the globe. They split time between Iran and the United States and raise a young daughter.
Ataei grew up during the Iran‑Iraq war; Keshavarz lived in New Jersey and New York before moving back and collaborating with her. They met through family and spent years building an indie practice together.
The couple also worked on a Hollywood production as consultants for several years. That larger project was ultimately canceled, but the experience added to their filmmaking skills.
A wider crackdown on Iranian artists, and one well-known case
The climate for filmmakers in Iran has been getting harsher. Directors and screenwriters who criticize the state face bans, arrests and prison sentences.
One prominent example cited by the team is an internationally known director who has been prevented from screening films at home. He recently received another sentence in absentia, and his collaborators have faced detention.
Censorship and legal pressure shape the life of Iranian cinema, forcing many artists to work covertly or to leave the country.
Where they go next: projects and hopes for distribution
Now based partly in Los Angeles, Ataei and Keshavarz are pitching new ideas to studios. One follow-up is an animated feature inspired by ancient Iran.
They continue to pursue international partners while keeping ties to the Tehran community that inspired the film.
The festival prize recognizes not only performance but the hidden labor required to make this movie — from clandestine shoots to smuggling a hard drive across borders.
