Canadian Premiere
On the heels of their Belgrade nuptials and with a child on the way, Boris and Hoda (played by real-life actor-writer-director duo Boris Hadžija and Hoda Taheri) are a young couple ready to embark on a new chapter of their lives in Berlin. Boris is a gay man hailing from Serbia; Hoda an Iranian refugee; together, they choose to build a life that’s unique to them. With the last of their bureaucratic hurdles out of the way and Hoda’s EU passport in hand, they relax into a more unconventional lifestyle, slowly building their nest while indulging in casual sexual encounters on the side.
Hadžija and Taheri lean on their own experiences in this idiosyncratic docufiction that flips the script on immigrant narratives. I Plant My Hand in the Garden sidesteps melodrama, instead drawing on generational wisdom, dinner table and bedside conversations, and characters that refuse to be defined by societal expectations. This is reflected in its formal playfulness, with plotlines that glitch and reset on a whim.
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Hoda Taheri, Boris Hadzija, Branka Hadžija, Jahandokht Taheri, Hadi Khanjanpour
Germany/Serbia/USA
2026
In English, Farsi, German, and Serbo-Croatian with English subtitles
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Credits & Director
Producer
Maximilian Feldkamp, Hoda Taheri, Boris Hadžija, Čarna Vučinić, Ena Bajraktarević
Screenwriter
Boris Hadžija & Hoda Taheri
Cinematography
Vytautas Katkus
Editor
Boris Hadžija
Production Design
Michael Schindlmeier
Boris Hadžija
Boris Hadžija is a Serbian-Montenegrin filmmaker and pianist based in Berlin. After his master studies in classical piano at the Faculty of Music in Belgrade, Hadžija studied film directing at the German Film and Television Academy Berlin. His work includes the short films Mother is a Natural Sinner (2024) and Yugotransport (2023), as well as his debut feature, I Plant my Hand in the Garden (2026) which premiered in the Giornate degli Autori section of the Venice Film Festival.
Photo by Ruan Lanxi
Hoda Taheri
Hoda Taheri is an Iranian-German artist and filmmaker based in Berlin. She received a bachelor’s degree in visual communication from Limkokwing University in Malaysia and studied film directing at the German Film and Television Academy Berlin. Her Mother Trilogy premiered over three consecutive years at the Locarno Film Festival (2022–2024). Her debut feature I Plant My Hand in the Garden premiered in the Giornate degli Autori section of the 2026 Venice Film Festival.
Photo by Ruan Lanxi
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