The Friend’s House is Here: Improv, courage, and survival in Iran’s most celebrated Sundance film

At a time when Iranian cinema continues to draw global attention, The Friend’s House is Here stands as a testament to the power of art and the political intersection at which it exists. Iranian writer-directors Maryam Ataei and Hossein Keshavarz premiered the film at the 2026 Sundance Film Festival, telling the story of an underground theatre group whose days are spent in community while politics colour their daily lives.

In the film, The Friend’s House is Here follows Pari and Hanna, played by Mahshad Bahram and Hana Mana, respectively, both of whom were banned from attending the festival premiere. They are actresses in an improv group and deeply care for one another. Their friendship is at the core of the film and, while they live freely in the comfort of the art community they have built, they are constantly at risk of exposure to the Iranian regime.

As for its creative roots, The Friend’s House is Here is inspired by and is a response to Sohrab Sepehri’s poem Where is the Friend’s House?, as well as Abbas Kiarostami’s 1987 film of the same name. The directors wanted to pay homage to both.

Reflecting on that influence, Hossein explains: "The whole film uses very long shots without any intercuts. That honours the older style of Kiarostami, but we also wanted to make it contemporary and more playful. We aimed for a forward motion so it wouldn’t feel too ponderous."

From secret shoots to international acclaim

Following its premiere, the film received critical praise and won the Sundance US Dramatic Competition jury award for ensemble cast. The reception to the film makes the directors "alternate between being so happy and crying," Hossein shares.

More broadly, Iranian films are no strangers to the world stage. They have played at global film festivals, been shortlisted for Oscars and, in many cases, as with this year’s awards and critical favourite, Jafar Panahi’s It Was Just an Accident, have been nominated for an Academy Award.

Within that context, unlike films such as The Seed of the Sacred Fig and The Holy Spider, The Friend’s House is Here, while politically charged, carries a more hopeful tone. Despite parts of production taking place amid protests, arrests and Israel’s attack on Tehran in the summer of 2025, Hossein and Maryam embed a resilient spirit into the story.

Speaking about why they made the film, Hossein tells The New Arab: "We wanted to make this film because we genuinely loved [Mahshad Bahram’s] improv group. We wanted to spend time with them because they were so lively and funny, and then we made this film to celebrate them."

In doing so, he and Maryam, who is also his wife, wanted to underscore the improv group to show that, despite facing political hardships and repression, "they’re not anyone’s victims. They lead very positive and resilient lives. Even if they are arrested, they regroup and recover, supporting each other in building a community while continuing to advance their art."

What makes The Friend’s House is Here stand out, then, is its depiction of art as resistance. The improv group serves as a slice-of-life exploration for artists in Tehran. The group, led by Bahram’s Pari, takes solace in their performances; it is their way of channelling life’s events into artistic and emotionally moving expression.

At one point in the film, Pari worries that the regime arrested Hanna for publicly dancing in front of a notable monument in Tehran. In this way, the film marries art and politics, creating a union in which the two are not separate.

That expression and resistance also translated into reality during production. As Hossein shares: "Even when things were so difficult, we kept our gallows humour. Shooting on set was incredibly stressful, but it was also joyful because we were making art with our friends."

Trust and teamwork on a high-risk set

Before its Sundance premiere, the film faced many challenges. The writer-directors filmed it in secret before smuggling it out of Iran on a hard drive. Members of the production were being arrested before, during and after production, and the summer attacks and protests affected the entire city, making it difficult to receive medical treatment when one of the film’s actresses was shot in the face.

Recalling that period, Maryam says: "The whole time we were like, ‘Oh my God, what if something happened today? This could be the last day we wake up'."

Because of these risks, a top priority for Maryam and Hossein was to carry out every part of the production in a way that would not put anyone in danger.

As Hossein explains: "When we shot outdoors, we would practise with the actors, then film something with our phone a week beforehand to show, ‘this is how the camera’s going to do it'. We rehearsed everything, went out into the streets to do a take or two, and then tried to leave before we got in trouble."

Maryam adds that having small cameras helped. "Our camera was very small, and we also had a still camera, which made filming a little easier. Many people today are shooting on TikTok or Instagram – they’re not using real cameras."

Hossein notes that in Iran, shooting a film illegally means that "when they see a real camera, they’ll arrest you."

Taking precautions during filming to prevent being arrested did not stop at rehearsals and small cameras. It was also a matter of who the filmmakers worked with.

As Hossein says, "It was a question of, ‘Do you trust this person enough?’," adding that they got to know the actors, which built trust between them, as well as others in the production with whom they had worked 15 years before on a different film, Dog Sweat.

Ultimately, Hossein hopes audiences feel "energised and hopeful" after watching The Friend’s House is Here, saying, "So many stories are so painful, but there is so much to celebrate in our cultures and among our people."

Maryam adds, "It’s important to see us in a different way. It was very important for us to show that they are not stereotypes."

Mae Abdulbaki is a freelance critic, entertainment journalist and podcaster. 

Follow her on Bluesky Social: @maeabdu.bsky.social