A Fox Under a Pink Moon

Directed by Mehrdad Oskouei, Soraya

Iran

2025

77 mins

Unclassified 18+

Winner of the top prize at the International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam, this unforgettable doc follows 16-year-old Soraya as she risks everything to escape Iran.

Soraya, a young Afghan woman living in Iran, is determined to reach Austria to reunite with her mother. Trapped in a violent marriage, she makes repeated attempts to cross the border, using her mobile phone to document the aftermath of abuse and the constant danger she faces. Despite terrible risk, Soraya manages to find moments of beauty through her striking artwork, brought vividly to life via animated sequences throughout the film. Through Soraya’s art, we’re introduced to imagined figures – the fox, the pink moon, and many others. Directed remotely by Mehrdad Oskouei with Soraya as co-director, this powerful film is a rare and intimate portrait of resistance, creativity, and survival that demands to be seen.

“Mehrdad Oskouei's film is a rare and valuable first-hand account of refugee strife.”

Guy Lodge, Variety

“A shape-shifting blend of thriller and dark fairy tale ... an act of defiance”

Lee Marshal, Screen International

“[a] life-affirming exercise in empathy, bleak in parts but also bursting with creative imagination and defiant optimism in the face of impossibly steep odds.”

Stephen Dalton, The Film Verdict

“Mehrdad Oskouei's film is a rare and valuable first-hand account of refugee strife.”

Guy Lodge, Variety

Tickets

Fri 5 June 2026, 6:30pm

Past Event

Dendy Newtown - Cinema 2

Sun 14 June 2026, 6:15pm

Past Event

Event Cinemas George Street - Cinema 3

Event George St - Cinema 3

See more, save more with a Flexipass or Youth Pass

Program Strand
International Documentaries
Original Title
ROOBAH VA MAH SOORATI
Year
2025
Classification
Unclassified 18+
Country
Iran, France, UK, USA, Denmark
Language
In Persian, Dari and Turkish with English subtitles
Director
Mehrdad Oskouei, Soraya
Producer
Mehrdad Oskouei
Screenwriter
Mehrdad Oskouei, Amir Adibparvar
Cinematographer
Soraya
Editor
Amir Adibparvar
Composer
Afshin Azizi
Genre
Asia, Documentary, Award Winner, Human Rights, Politics, Animation, Experimental, Arts, Women Directors, Biography, Women’s Stories, Middle East
Premiere
Australian Premiere
Company Credits
Sales Agent: CAT&docs

Sydney Film Festival acknowledges Australia’s First Nations People as the Traditional Owners and Custodians of the land, and pay respect to the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation, upon whose Country SFF is based.

We honour the storytelling and culture of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities across Australia.

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