Seven Days

Ali Samadi Ahadi
festival
Sat 26 Apr 25 - Sun 4 May 25
  • Caution with children up to 16 years of age

The film offers an incisive insight into the personal and political challenges that human rights activists face in authoritarian regimes. 

Maryam, a political activist, is imprisoned in Iran. After being granted a rare medical leave, her brother and husband devise a plan to smuggle her out of Iran. Her family is waiting for her her at the Turkish border. She is faced with a heart-wrenching choice: to put her family first, or to continue her fight for human rights and democracy. 

The film’s strong screenplay was co-written by the Iranian director Mohammad Rasoulof, who himself fled Iran last year. He is able to describe the sense of suffocation of the main character first hand. The acting is particularly strong, especially that of the actress portraying Maryam. The vastness of the snow-covered mountains on the Turkish-Iranian border, in contrast to the claustrophobic rooms of where she is staying, highlights the dilemma Maryam faces. 

direction
Ali Samadi Ahadi
cast
Vishka Asayesh, Majid Bakhtiari, Melika Foroutan
duration
110 min
year
2024
country
Iran (Islamic Republic of)
language
Persian
Subtitles
Dutch
  • Caution with children up to 16 years of age

festival

"A stunning survival drama." - Filmfest Report