BEST OF FESTS

APPIKARJE

2025 / 104 min / color

Seti is a young woman with a haunting voice and a deep love for music. She dreams of a day when her songs will finally be heard, but in Iran there’s a draconian law that forbids women from performing in public. Seti refuses to give up; her personal rebellion — an act of civil disobedience — requires great courage. Her stage is the street, and her moving, improvised performances attract a growing audience of onlookers. Though she puts herself and her family in significant danger, Seti quickly becomes an inspiration and an icon for a younger generation of Iranians fed up with living under the oppressive yoke of the regime. In Bidad, Soheil Beiraghi paints a vivid portrait of contemporary Iran, as seen through the eyes of his charismatic lead, Sarvin Zabetian. The director skillfully demonstrates the subversive power of art as a weapon against the state apparatus. It’s a struggle he knows firsthand, having shot the film without official consent and at great personal risk. The result is a poignant manifesto for freedom of speech in a nation where silence is mandated by law.

• Karlovy Vary IFF – Special Mention