As tensions rise amid a U.S.- and Israeli-led war with Iran, understanding the perspectives and everyday realities of Iranians can feel increasingly difficult from the outside. Several recent documentaries and feature films (as compiled by NPR) by Iranian journalists and filmmakers — both inside the country and in the diaspora — offer a closer look at Iran’s culture, society and political history.
Revisiting a pivotal moment in Iran’s history
The 2019 documentary “Coup 53”, directed by Taghi Amirani and co-written with Walter Murch, examines the covert operation known as Operation Ajax. The film explores how the Central Intelligence Agency and Britain’s Secret Intelligence Service (MI6) orchestrated the overthrow of Iran’s democratically elected prime minister, Mohammad Mossadegh, in 1953.
The operation ultimately restored power to Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, the Shah of Iran, whose rule lasted until he was forced from power during the Iranian Revolution in 1979.
A rural campaign for women’s rights
The documentary “Cutting Through Rocks”, directed by Sara Khaki and Mohammadreza Eyni, premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 2025 and has emerged as a contender in this year’s awards season.
The film follows Sara Shahverdi, a divorced motorcyclist living in a remote Iranian village, as she runs for a seat on the local city council. If elected, she would become the first woman to hold such a position there. Shahverdi’s campaign also centers on broader social goals, including teaching girls to ride motorcycles and challenging the practice of child marriage.
A thriller shaped by prison experiences
Acclaimed Iranian director Jafar Panahi — who has faced repeated restrictions and legal penalties for his filmmaking — returned in 2025 with the darkly comedic thriller “It Was Just an Accident.”
Panahi has said the story was inspired by people he encountered during time in prison. The plot follows Vahid, an auto mechanic who believes he has encountered the man who once tortured him in jail. Unsure whether his suspicion is correct, Vahid gathers other former detainees in an attempt to confirm the man’s identity.
A family drama set amid protests
Another recent film, the 2024 thriller “The Seed of the Sacred Fig,” was secretly filmed by director Mohammad Rasoulof.
The story centers on Iman, a newly appointed investigating judge in Tehran. As he begins his work, it becomes clear that his role involves enforcing state authority rather than conducting independent investigations. Suspicion spreads within his own household — among his wife and two daughters — as the atmosphere of surveillance deepens.
Read also: Why snipers in Iran target protesters’ faces and genitals.
Meanwhile, outside their home, the city is gripped by the real-life Woman, Life, Freedom movement, which erupted across Iran in response to government repression and demands for greater rights.
