fruits of despair (2026)
Directed by Nima Nassaj
Production: Nima Nassaj (Iran)
Short Documentary (29 mins)
While making a film about the Israel-Palestine conflict, an Iranian filmmaker is suddenly thrust into war himself when Israel attacks Iran. Forced to flee Tehran with his family, he finds fragile shelter in a suburban home. Over twelve tense days, what began as a political essay transforms
into a personal diary of survival and exile. Through fragments of news, images, and reflection, he confronts questions of freedom, identity, and belonging. When the war ends, he returns to a city both familiar and altered, his film forever changed by the collision of art, politics, and lived experience.