Maryam Keshavarz won over the Sundance crowd with her culture class comedy, The Persian Version, coming away with two awards and a quick pick-up by Sony Pictures Classics. Now the rest of us get to see what all of the fuss is about with a new trailer ahead of the film’s release this fall.
Written and directed by Keshavarz, The Persian Version tells a familiar tale of balancing family expectations with one’s own dreams. Layla Mohammadi stars as Leila, an Iranian-American woman who returns home after a medical emergency and tries to navigate complicated relationships with her family while also keeping the other side of her life separate from them.
Also in the cast are Nioshua Noor, Bijan Daneshmand, and Kamand Shafieisabat.
The film marked Keshavarz’s return to Park City after her breakout film, 2011’s Circumstance. She also directed Susan Sarandon in 2018’s Viper Club.
Coming from two countries at odds with each other, Iranian-American Leila (Layla Mohammadi) strives to find balance and embrace her opposing cultures, while boldly challenging the labels society is so quick to project upon her. When her family reunites in New York City for her father’s heart transplant, Leila navigates her relationships from arms length in an effort to keep her “real” life separate from her family life. However, when her secret is unceremoniously revealed, so are the distinct parallels between her life and that of her mother Shireen (Niousha Noor).
