REHEARSALS FOR A REVOLUTION
20 September, Sunday, 14:00, Rauf Denktaş
2026 | DCP | Colour | 98’ | Persian; Turkish, English sub. | Czech Republic, Spain
DIRECTOR
Pegah Ahangarani
20 September, Sunday, 14:00, Rauf Denktaş
2026 | DCP | Colour | 98’ | Persian; Turkish, English sub. | Czech Republic, Spain
DIRECTOR
Pegah Ahangarani
Classification: According to Article 7 of Law No. 5224, as amended on January 18, 2019, films that have not undergone evaluation and classification can only be shown at festivals, special screenings, and similar cultural and artistic events with an 18+ age restriction.
Actor and director Pegah Ahangarani, born into a family of filmmakers, weaves together five distinct stories of family members and close friends who have abandoned hope that Iran will ever achieve democracy and freedom. Constructed almost entirely from archival footage, these vignettes portray individuals scattered far from their homeland, alongside those who are no longer alive.
Spanning from the profound transformation of her father—who once championed and fought for the Islamic Revolution—to her uncle's tragic suicide at a young age, these personal histories reveal how revolutionary fervor in Iran has repeatedly dissolved into disillusionment. As her uncle observes in an audio recording: “The defeat of a revolution belongs to everyone. Its victory belongs to a few. Iran has had a dozen failed revolutions.” At a moment when Iran bears the deep scars of domestic political repression alongside a war into which it has been forcibly drawn with the United States and Israel, Ahangarani nevertheless chooses to conclude her documentary on a hopeful note.
Cannes 2026
L’Œil d’or - Best Documentary
Golden Globes
Golden Globes Prize for Documentary - Special Mention
Actor and director Pegah Ahangarani, born into a family of filmmakers, weaves together five distinct stories of family members and close friends who have abandoned hope that Iran will ever achieve democracy and freedom. Constructed almost entirely from archival footage, these vignettes portray individuals scattered far from their homeland, alongside those who are no longer alive.
Spanning from the profound transformation of her father—who once championed and fought for the Islamic Revolution—to her uncle's tragic suicide at a young age, these personal histories reveal how revolutionary fervor in Iran has repeatedly dissolved into disillusionment. As her uncle observes in an audio recording: “The defeat of a revolution belongs to everyone. Its victory belongs to a few. Iran has had a dozen failed revolutions.” At a moment when Iran bears the deep scars of domestic political repression alongside a war into which it has been forcibly drawn with the United States and Israel, Ahangarani nevertheless chooses to conclude her documentary on a hopeful note.
Cannes 2026
L’Œil d’or - Best Documentary
Golden Globes
Golden Globes Prize for Documentary - Special Mention