Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibilityThe Friend’s House is Here | 2026 Sundance Film Festival
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U.S. Dramatic Competition

The Friend’s House is Here

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United States/Iran (Islamic Republic of)202696 minPersian
Friend’s House is Here

In Tehran’s underground art scene, two young women build a blissful world of freedom and sisterhood. But when their creative circle is exposed, they must fight to save each other.

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In Tehran’s underground art scene, two young women build a blissful world of freedom and sisterhood. But when their creative circle is exposed, they must fight to save each other.

Writer-directors Maryam Ataei and Hossein Keshavarz make their Festival directorial debut with a uniquely current film exploring artistic practice and community in contemporary Iran. Through bold cinematography and raw performances, the pair capture a clever, careful deconstruction of the line between theatricality and reality. The result is the permeation of a vibrant kindness and a creeping tension — a powerful, unexpected emotional rhythm.

Central to the narrative is an authentic, radical care between women dedicated to holding one another in community through artistic and personal upheaval. As such, The Friend’s House is Here is a rare film audiences aren’t often gifted — one that reflects the softness and humanity of the Persian populace, a mass of passionate young artists for whom expression is an ultimate form of freedom. As life imitates art (and vice versa), the theater becomes a microcosm of modern Iran — the maintenance of artistic dignity the ultimate act of resistance. — CA

Available in person. Also available online for the public (January 29–February 1) and credentialed press and industry (January 28–February 1).

U.S. Dramatic CompetitionAll FeaturesBIPOC StoriesInternationalNon-English LanguageWomen-Centered StoriesDramaFictionEnglish SDH SubtitlesEnglish SubtitlesOpen CaptionU.S. Only- less

Screenings

in persononline
  • Jan 24, 8:45 PM MST
    Premiere

    Library Center Theatre

    Park City

    English SubtitlesEnglish Subtitles

  • Jan 25, 4:40 PM MST
    Screening

    Megaplex Redstone - 2

    Park City

    Open CaptionOpen Caption

    English SDH SubtitlesEnglish SDH Subtitles

  • Jan 30, 8:10 PM MST
    Screening

    Megaplex Redstone - 2

    Park City

    English SubtitlesEnglish Subtitles

  • Feb 1, 6:45 PM MST
    Screening

    Holiday Village Cinemas - 1

    Park City

    English SubtitlesEnglish Subtitles

  • Jan 29, 3:00 PM GMT -
    Feb 2, 6:55 AM GMT
    Online Screening

    English SubtitlesEnglish Subtitles

    English SDH SubtitlesEnglish SDH Subtitles

Credits

  • Director(s)

    Hossein Keshavarz

    Maryam Ataei

  • Screenwriter

    Hossein Keshavarz

    Maryam Ataei

  • Producer

    Hossein Keshavarz

    Maryam Ataei

  • Cinematographer

    Ali Ehsani

  • Editor

    Hossein Keshavarz

  • Composer

    Arian Saleh

  • Executive Producer

    Maryam Keshavarz

  • Principal Cast

    Mahshad Bahram

    Hana Mana

    Farzad Karen

    Zohreh Pirnia

  • Company

    Alma Linda Films

  • Contact

    Hossein Keshavarz

    info@thefriendshouse.com

Meet the Artist

Panelist Name

Hossein Keshavarz

    Hossein Keshavarz’s Film Independent Spirit Award–nominated debut feature, Dog Sweat, was released to critical acclaim, winning awards at festivals in Rome and Austin. NPR called it “astonishingly gutsy” and The New York Times said the film was “engaging, exalted by the particulars of its birth.” He also associate produced the Sundance Film Festival U.S. Dramatic Audience Award winner Circumstance.

    Panelist Name

    Maryam Ataei

      Maryam Ataei wrote and produced the critically acclaimed film Dog Sweat and associate produced the Sundance Film Festival U.S. Dramatic Audience Award winner Circumstance. Ataei completed her MFA in dramatic literature from Tehran Art University and her BA in cinema from Soureh University.

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