Rehearsals for a Revolution, in person: Arash Ahtiani ( خاطرات ایران)

 

Pegah Ahangarani: Rehearsals for a Revolution ( خاطرات ایران) (CZ/ES 2026).

Telluride Film Festival (TFF) 2026

Viewed at Le Pierre, 6 Sep 2026

Larry Gross (TFF): "Pegah Ahangarani’s astonishing documentary, an award winner at Cannes, interweaves one woman’s autobiography with the tragic history of Iran during the past 40 years. Beginning with vibrant home movie images of her parents as romantic cinephiles and enthusiastic supporters of Ayatollah Khomeini’s revolution, Ahangarani’s portrait shifts as the fallout of the fanatical new regime arrives: an inspiring teacher loses her job for not wearing a hijab; her dad’s best friend is jailed and executed; a beloved uncle who has joined street protests commits suicide. Ahangarani, one of Iran’s leading actresses, is clearly inspired by the film diaries of Jonas Mekas, as she brilliantly juxtaposes the poetic language of memory with the harsh truth: searing cinéma vérite images of political violence. Her film, for all its anguish, achieves the heights of the greatest Iranian films. It is incandescent." –LG (Czech Republic/Spain, 2026, 98m) In person: (Pegah Ahangarani announced, was denied a visa).

M/Sat 4PM - L/Sun 1:15PM Q&A - MV/Mon 9:15AM

1  For My Father

2  For My Dearest Teacher

3  For My Uncle

4  For Amir and the Rebels of the Streets of 2004

5  For Life

AA: Pegah Ahangarani draws us in the turmoil of world history in her movie which is at once a chronicle of the continuing revolutions of Iran and a personal diary, inviting us to share a family history of defiance and bravery. It is a unique growing-up story based on home movie footage, sound recordings, photographs. It is epic in scope and intimate as well. A film which needs to be revisited. About a great story that keeps being written as we watch this movie. Words fail to convey the brutality of the military terror, the nadir of which was the January 2026 massacre, the biggest in contemporary Iran. And the heroism of the people of Iran, not least the liberation fighters of "Woman, Life, Freedom". Pegah Ahangari conveys the guilt of not being there. And the love to her daughter Lily. The love to the future.

The deeply moving Q&A with Arash Ahtiani, the editor of the movie, was conducted by Mark Danner.