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About the Filmmaker

Lilinaz Hakimi is an Iranian actress and filmmaker born and raised in Shiraz Iran. From a young age, Lilinaz found the arts as a means of expression in a conservative environment. At the age of 12 she moved to the United States and continued pursuing her love of film and creation. In undergraduate studies she pursued Political Science and Film, creating her first short film FOR HER in her third year. The film was inspired by her desire to support the voices of the women of her country in their fight for basic human rights. Upon graduating she spent 6 months working with Paradise City Sales in Paris and is currently in pre-production for her next short film. Lilinaz aims to use her camera to tell untold stories, take people into intimate spaces, and challenge audiences all around the world.

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Synopsis

Mahnaz, a 20 year old Iranian girl in school in New York City, feels isolated, alone, and powerless as Iran explodes into a historic moment of political upheaval, violence, and revolution. The political situation consumes her everyday life, as she begins to lose herself in involvement from afar. She organizes protests, writes articles, and obsessively follows the news on social media. Through all of this, she falls out of sync with her friends who have trouble understanding her need to stay plugged in.

 

While in this difficult mental space, she crosses paths with Roshan, another young Iranian, who reminds Mahnaz of home. Roshan feels familiar, but distant, as she begins to appear in Mahnaz’s everyday life – in class, at the library, on the street, and in her apartment. Is Roshan a manifestation of Mahnaz’s anxieties, an old friend, or somewhere in between?