Skip to main content
Me, Maryam, the Children and 26 Others film image; man stretches a long object towards a woman

Me, Maryam, the Children and 26 Others

Man, Maryam, Bacheha va 26 Nafare Digar

Vanguard

This event has passed

North American Premiere

When a woman decides to rent her home for a film shoot, she’s not prepared for the overwhelming sense of intrusion she will experience by having the film crew in her space. But reality and fiction blur as the production ramps up and she finds herself immersed in the work and on-set camaraderie.

In his feature debut, Iranian director Farshad Hashemi weaves a narratively dense and emotionally textured film tapestry, crafting a quietly affecting drama that lands as a poetic meditation on loneliness and the power of storytelling. The filmmaker nimbly switches between storytelling conventions to interrogate the notion of art imitating life and vice versa. As he himself moves seamlessly in front of and behind the camera (he plays the production manager), he conveys a deep appreciation for the chaotic nature of the creative process, proving that magic is often found in moments of frustration and uncertainty.

 

Ingmar Bergman International Debut Award, Göteborg 2024

 

Presented by

Media Partner

     

Director
Cast

Mahboube Gholami, Farshad Hashemi, Ebrahim Azizi, Zahra Aghapour, Navid Aghaei, Arash Deghan Shad

Credits
Country of Origin

Iran/Germany

Year

2024

Language

In Farsi with English subtitles

Film Contact
18+
101 min
Award Winners Cinemas of Asia Drama
Istade Art Group, PakFilm

Book Tickets

This event has passed.

Credits & Director

Executive Producer

Sina Askari

Producer

Farzad Pak, Farshad Hashemi

Screenwriter

Farshad Hashemi

Cinematography

Davood Malek Hosseini

Editor

Mahdi Iravani

Production Design

Siamak Karinejad

Original Music

Peyman Yazdanian

Farshad Hashemi headshot; Me, Maryam, the Children and 26 Others director

Farshad Hashemi

Farshad Hashemi is an Iranian writer, director, and actor. His feature directorial debut, Me, Maryam, the Children, and 26 Others premiered at the International Film Festival Rotterdam and was selected for the Göteborg Film Festival where it won the Ingmar Bergman International Debut Award.

Missing VIFF? Check out what's playing at the VIFF Centre

Romería

Dir. Carla Simón
112 min

An orphan from a young age, 18-year-old Marina intends to pursue a university scholarship. The application, however, requires the signatures of her paternal grandparents, compelling her to embark on a pilgrimage and seek out the family she has never met.

VIFF Centre - VIFF Cinema VIFF Centre - Lochmaddy Studio Theatre

Democracy Under Siege

Dir. Laura Nix
90 min

As the USA turns 250, Oscar-nominated director Laura Nix considers the roots of the current political crisis with commentary from historian Heather Cox Richardson, progressive politician Jamie Raskin, and cartoonist Ann Telnaes, among others.

VIFF Centre - Lochmaddy Studio Theatre VIFF Centre - VIFF Cinema

Peter Asher: Everywhere Man

Dir. Dan Geller & Dayna Goldfine
118 min

A chart topping pop star as one half of Peter and Gordon, Peter Asher was brother to Jane, brother in law to Paul McCartney, ran the Beatles' Apple, produced and managed James Taylor, Linda Ronstadt, and 10,000 Maniacs, to name just a few. He did it all.

VIFF Centre - VIFF Cinema VIFF Centre - Lochmaddy Studio Theatre

Ask E. Jean

Dir. Ivy Meeropol
91 min

An inspiring and engaging portrait of E. Jean Carroll, the trailblazing journalist, author and advice columnist who stood up to power and beat Donald Trump in court, twice.

VIFF Centre - Lochmaddy Studio Theatre

Another World

Dir. Tommy Kai Chung Ng
112 min

This hit anime from Hong Kong gives us an unpredictable, sometimes darkly karmic tale taking place on either side of the afterlife involving a headstrong princess with bad karma and the spirit guide who tries to help her get on a better path.

VIFF Centre - Lochmaddy Studio Theatre
More info

Sold Out

Unforgiven

Dir. Clint Eastwood
131 min

Bill Munny (Clint Eastwood) is face down in pig shit when we first see him. He's a bad farmer, but has a natural facility for killing people – a vocation to which he returns in a quest that combines both profit and justice. Or so he chooses to believe.

VIFF Centre - VIFF Cinema