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Farhang Foundation is proud to partner with the prestigious American Film Institute for the 11th year in a row in presenting all the Iranian films at the 2025 AFI FEST.

1001 Frames

A Film by Mehrnoush Alia

Oct 22, 6:00pm

(Chinese 4 Theater)

Screening to be followed by a conversation with director, screenwriter and producer Mehrnoush Alia and actor Mohammad Aghebati.

A procession of young actresses interview and audition for the role of Scheherazade in A THOUSAND AND ONE NIGHTS, opposite a famous director (Mohammad Aghebati) whose comments and questions become increasingly interrogatory, innuendo-laden and threatening. Iranian American filmmaker Mehrnoush Alia’s debut feature is a provocative riff on the legendary tale, whose heroine escaped the sultan’s wrath by commanding his attention with her tales. The candid stories told by the actresses here offer up-to-the-minute reportage about being a woman in Iran. Shot on a bare modern soundstage and filmed in tight closeup, with the dozen or so actresses playing almost directly to the camera and the mostly unseen director seated just out of the frame, the film plays like audition tapes from hell. Each audition begins well enough, but the verbal impropriety and physical tension ratchet up steadily each time. The ensemble of actresses gives committed, convincing performances whether defiant or frightened in their words and physical reactions. The documentary-like aesthetic further enhances the performative illusion — indeed, some viewers have mistaken the film for an actual documentary — with a fourth wall-breaking coda offering a modicum of relief following the intensity of the viewing experience. – Todd Hitchcock

Country: Iran, USA

Year: 2025

Director: Mehrnoush Alia

Screenwriter: Mehrnoush Alia

Producers: Mohammad Aghebati, Mehrnoush Alia

Executive Producer: Sina Sharbafi

Director of Photography: Hamed Hosseini Sangari

Editor: Mehrnoush Alia

Production Designer: Morteza Farbod

Music: Ava Rasti

Cast/Featuring: Mohammad Aghebati, Mahin Sadri, Leili Rashidi, Mahsa Rezaei, Behafarid Ghaffarian

Running Time: 87 minutes

Language: Persian