In this play, there are no rehearsals and no director. The actor has absolutely no prior knowledge of the text. He steps onto the stage, is handed a sealed envelope containing the script, and discovers the play without any preparation at exactly the same moment as you. What begins as a tongue-in-cheek game quickly becomes a gripping exploration of power, obedience, freedom and the power of theatre itself.
Visions of Iran Filmfestival Cologne
June 10th to 14th, 2026 – Filmforum NRW/Museum Ludwig, Cologne, Germany
For the 13th time, “Visions of Iran” offers insights into Iranian society and culture, against the current backdrop of political tensions and ongoing repression: Mahnaz Mohammadi will be presenting “Roya” in person, a film about a detained human rights activist. Friday evening focuses on representatives of Iran’s “Generation Z”, who in Sahand Kabiri’s “The Crowd” simply want to organise a party, and who in Amir Azizi’s “Inside Amir” grapple with questions of emigration.
Women in resistance are impossible to overlook: from the feisty Afghan Soraya in Mehrdad Oskuei’s documentary “A Fox Under a Pink Moon”, to the taciturn, rebellious protagonist in Marva Nabili’s classic of female filmmaking, “The Sealed Soil” (1977). And in the dark “The Killer and the Savage” – Hamid Nematollah’s thriller starring Leila Hatami finally makes it to the screen after six years of struggle.
On Sunday, a special focus on southern Iran will offer a fresh perspective on the “Strait of Hormuz”. Our selection of short films, “Life is too short” – featuring special guests! – and Amirali Navaee’s fantasy film “Sunlight Express” also offer unusual perspectives: in our follow-up film, train passengers set off for the legendary Hermia.
And to kick things off, “Visions of Iran” will present Nassim Soleimanpour’s successful theatrical experiment “White Rabbit, Red Rabbit” in collaboration with Theater Colonia. The well-known Cologne actor Mohammad Ali Behboudi encounters the text live on stage for the first time – a theatrical evening in the cinema: about control, freedom and the power of art.
