‘The Persian Version’ Trailer: Cultures Class In Maryam Keshavarz’s Sundance Award-Winning Dramedy

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).

 

 

Travis Hopson
Travis Hopson has been reviewing movies before he even knew there was such a thing. Having grown up on a combination of bad '80s movies, pro wrestling, comic books, and hip-hop, Travis is uniquely positioned to geek out on just about everything under the sun. A vampire who walks during the day and refuses to sleep, Travis is the co-creator and lead writer for Punch Drunk Critics. He is also a contributor to Good Morning Washington, WBAL Morning News, and WETA Around Town. In the five minutes a day he's not working, Travis is also a voice actor, podcaster, and Twitch gamer. Travis is a voting member of the Critics Choice Association (CCA), Washington DC Area Film Critics Association (WAFCA), and Late Night programmer for the Lakefront Film Festival.