Feature Documentaries

A Fox Under A Pink Moon Roobah Va Mah Soorati

Directed by Mehrdad Oskouei, Soraya Akhlaghi

Screening at DIFF 2026

Sun1 12:30 PM to 1:47 PMSunday 1 Nov · Hermann Gmeiner Hall

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Runtime: 77 min
Year: 2025
Country: Iran
Language: Dari, Farsi, Turkish
Subtitles: English

Synopsis

At just 16, Afghan sculptor and illustrator Soraya creates stunning drawings and sculptures that are as beautiful as they are dark. Married to a violent man, she has spent five years trying to leave Iran and join her mother in Austria. Directed remotely by Mehrdad Oskouei, this self-portrait is assembled from five years of smartphone footage filmed by Soraya herself, alongside her drawings and surreal animations. The film interweaves chilling escape attempts with her songs, dances, and bruises. Soraya creates sculptures from clay and soaked egg cartons found along escape routes, filling her drawings with recurring figures: a loyal fox, a watchful pink moon, and a laughing clown she identifies with.

Directors

Mehrdad OskoueiMehrdad Oskouei is a celebrated Iranian independent documentary filmmaker, producer, and photographer. His deeply humanistic films explore sensitive social issues, often focusing on marginalized groups, youth, and women. He has directed, produced, and written over 25 documentaries and short films, which have screened…

Soraya AkhlaghiDirectorSoraya Akhlaghi is a multidisciplinary artist working across sculpture, painting, and film. She began sculpting in 2016 and has created over 200 papier-mâché sculptures. She later expanded into painting and worked as cinematographer, sound engineer, and co-director of A Fox Under A Pink Moon, directed by Oskouei, in…

Cast and crew

Producer: Mehrdad Oskouei, Siavash Jamali, Tony Tabatznik, Chandra Jessee, Rebecca Lichtenfeld
Writer: Mehrdad Oskouei, Amir Adibparvar
Cinematographer: Soraya Akhlaghi
Editor: Amir Adibparvar
Sound: Soraya Akhlaghi, Hossein Ghoorchian
Music: Afshin Azizi