The fall awards season is right around the corner, and there are still some stragglers from Sundance that could make an impact. One of the festival’s pleasant surprises was Maryam Keshavarz’s The Persian Version, which came away with the Audience Award and another for the filmmaker’s screenplay.
Keshaavarz 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.
Here’s the synopsis: 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 at arm’s 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). Punctuated by a bright color palette, snappy comedic relief, and vibrant dance numbers, “The Persian Version” delivers an honest portrayal of a woman who remains unapologetically herself, blended seamlessly into a heartfelt story about family, belonging, and the undeniable influence of pop music. Winning both the Audience Award and the Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award in the U.S. Dramatic Competition at this year’s Sundance Film Festival, writer-director-producer Maryam Keshavarz delivers a universal and timely story of the Iranian and the Iranian-American experience
The Persian Version opens in theaters on October 13th.
