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

Silver Screamers

Dir. Sean Cisterna
94 min

In this funny, touching doc, a group of retirees are persuaded to get off the couch and make a horror movie about a killer rug...

VIFF Centre - Lochmaddy Studio Theatre
More info

Sold Out

The Things You Kill

Dir. Alireza Khatami
113 min

Thirty-something professor Ali leads an apparently stable life. But when his ailing mother dies under ambiguous circumstances, he starts to unravel, resulting in an act that shatters our understanding of his person.

VIFF Centre - VIFF Cinema VIFF Centre - Lochmaddy Studio Theatre

Ghost Elephants

Dir. Werner Herzog
99 min

Everyone's favourite German adventurer, Werner Herzog goes on the hunt for the largest land mammal on the planet, the fabled "ghost elephant" of the Angolan highlands -- that may, or may not, exist.

VIFF Centre - Lochmaddy Studio Theatre

La Otra

Dir. Roberto Gavaldón
98 min

Dolores del Rio plays twins on different sides of the wealth divide in this fiendish Mexican Noir thriller. Maria decides to murder Magdelana and step into her high heels. But can she carry it off?

VIFF Centre - VIFF Cinema VIFF Centre - Lochmaddy Studio Theatre

Analogue Revolution: How Feminist Media Changed the World

Dir. Marusya Bociurkiw
94 min

Bonnie Thompson, Bonnie Sherr Klein, Moira Simpson, Zainub Verjee, Judy Rebick are among the Canadian feminist creatives who recount tales from the trenches, the gory glory days of 1970s, 80s and 90s, before the internet changed everything.

VIFF Centre - Lochmaddy Studio Theatre
More info

Sold Out

Nika & Madison

Dir. Eva Thomas
87 min

Two young Indigenous women become fugitives following an act of self-defence and are forced to flee into the wilderness. Inspired by Thelma and Louise, this compelling story of unbreakable friendship sheds light on systemic injustices.

VIFF Centre - VIFF Cinema VIFF Centre - Lochmaddy Studio Theatre