Past Future Continuous

Directed by Morteza Ahmadvand, Firouzeh Khosrovani

Iran

2025

76 mins

Unclassified 15+

Firouzeh Khosrovani returns after Radiograph of a Family (SFF 2021) with a striking doc following an involuntary immigrant who surveils her parents who remain in Iran. Venice 2025.

At 20, Maryam fled Iran after seeing her friends killed or imprisoned. Now living in the United States, she persuades her parents to install cameras in their home in Tehran so she can witness their lives in real time. The film draws us into the inner worlds of both Maryam and her parents, as they age apart. Archival footage and glimpses of Iran’s history deepen the story, revealing why Maryam had no choice but to leave. Directed by award-winning filmmaker Firouzeh Khosrovani and visual artist Morteza Ahmadvand, this formally inventive work received top honours at the International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam and delivers a moving exploration of distance, memory and the enduring allure of home.

“[A] poignant, formally daring family portrait ... Beautifully shot with a real emotional charge.”

Lee Marshall, Screen International

“Ultimately, it’s the sense of powerlessness and lacerating sorrow felt by those who can’t return home, who can’t care for the people they love or say goodbye to them when they depart this world, that stays with viewers the most, expressed as it is with explosive sensitivity and delicacy.”

Vittoria Scarpa, Cineuropa

“[A] poignant, formally daring family portrait ... Beautifully shot with a real emotional charge.”

Lee Marshall, Screen International

Tickets

Sun 7 June 2026, 3:20pm

Past Event

Dendy Newtown - Cinema 3

Fri 12 June 2026, 6pm

Past Event

Event Cinemas George Street - Cinema 11

Event George St - Cinema 11

Sun 14 June 2026, 12:45pm

Past Event

Palace Central Cinemas - Cinema 1

Palace Central - Cinema 1

See more, save more with a Flexipass or Youth Pass

Program Strand
International Documentaries
Year
2025
Classification
Unclassified 15+
Country
Iran, Norway, Italy
Language
In Farsi and English with English subtitles
Director
Morteza Ahmadvand, Firouzeh Khosrovani
Producer
Firouzeh Khosrovani
Screenwriter
Firouzeh Khosrovani, Morteza Ahmadvand, Naghmeh Samini
Cinematographer
Mohamad Hadadi
Editor
Solmaz Eftekhari
Genre
Documentary, Award Winner, Human Rights, Politics, Women Directors, History, Women’s Stories, Middle East, Family
Premiere
Australian Premiere
Company Credits
Sales Agent: Taskovski Films

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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