The Friend's House is Here

Incoming Editorial·Reviewed June 28, 2026

Pari and Hanna, roommates and friends, live in modern-day Tehran. Pari is a curator and director of an independent theatre group; Hanna is a dancer, who wants to get out of Iran as soon as possible. The situation of both women becomes more complicated, but their friendship is strong in the face of political oppression. The Friend’s House is Here is a rewarding cinematic experience, conveying a sense of freedom and hope, even though it originated under the exact opposite conditions. Just a few days after the June War in Iran, the crew, headed by directing duo Hossein Keshavarz and Maryam Ataei, took to the streets of Tehran to make a film about a generation that no longer wants to live according to imposed rules and is striving to achieve one of the fundamental human rights, the right to freedom of artistic expression.