North American Premiere
Set in contemporary Iran, A Bit of Light tells the story of a doctor arrested for secretly treating injured protestors. Following the closure of his practice, and with his faith in the future shattered, he decides to take his own life. Determined there is no way forward, he visits his siblings and mother, intending to say goodbye — but things do not go as planned. Encountering affection, concern, and companionship in the presence of his family, the certainty of his decision slowly begins to crumble.
A Bit of Light ultimately asks what might reconnect a person to life when faith in institutions and the future has been exhausted. Throughout his filmography, Ali Asghari has explored individuals caught between personal vulnerability and the pressures of social and institutional structures, and it’s remarkable to witness how beautifully and effortlessly he renders his protagonist’s internal conflict.
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Misagh Zareh, Sadaf Asgari, Forouzan Jamshidnejad, Ramtin Daghigh, Mina Rahimzadeh
Iran/Switzerland/Italy/
Canada/Turkey
2026
In Persian with English subtitles
At Lindsay Family Stage at Granville Island
At Fifth Ave & The Park
Book Tickets
Indigenous & Community Access
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Credits & Director
Producer
Milad Khosravi, Afshin Salamian, Lorenzo Cioffi, Giorgio Giampà, Sholeh Alemi Fabbri, Sara Nasrabadi, Francesco Melzi d’Eril, Gabriele Moratti, Avantika Singh Desbouvries
Screenwriter
Ali Asgari, Shadmehr Rastin
Cinematography
Iman Tahsin
Editor
Iman Tahsin
Original Music
Navid Divan
Ali Asgari
Ali Asgari is one of the leading voices of contemporary Iranian cinema. His films explore the lives of individuals confronted by the social, political, and institutional pressures of contemporary Iran, often revealing how private acts of resistance emerge within ordinary life. His short films and features have competed at Cannes and Venice International Film Festival. His feature Until Tomorrow (2022) premiered at the Berlinale, his hybrid feature Higher Than Acidic Clouds (2024) premiered in IDFA’s Envision Competition, and Divine Comedy (2025) premiered in Venice’s Orizzonti section. Asgari has served as a jury member at Cannes, Venice, and Zurich.
Filmography: Terrestrial Verses (2023); Higher Than Acidic Clouds (2024); Divine Comedy (2025)
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