Sunday 19 April, 2.00pm – Pay What You Can £12.00 / £10.00 / £8.00

Shown in Azerbaijani, Turkish, Persian and English with English subtitles

Dir: Mohammadreza Eyni, Sara Khaki | 2025 | Iran, USA, Germany | N/C 15 | 1h 35m

Followed by a virtual Q&A with Sara Khaki and Mohammadreza Eyni

In a remote Iranian village, newly elected councilwoman Sara Shahverdi is determined to challenge traditions that have shaped generations of women’s lives. Academy Award nominated Cutting Through Rocks, filmed over seven years by directors Sara Khaki and Mohammadreza Eyni, follows her efforts to reshape a community where patriarchal expectations run deep.

Sara’s reforms are practical and quietly radical – from opposing child marriages to encouraging girls to ride motorcycles and imagine wider futures. Each step forward meets resistance, placing her role as a leader, and even her sense of self, under pressure.

What unfolds is an intimate portrait of persistence and courage. As Sara’s personal history comes into view, her determination takes on deeper meaning, revealing how change often begins with those who have lived the system from the inside.

Clear-eyed yet hopeful, Cutting Through Rocks is a compelling story of one woman’s resolve to open new possibilities for the generation that follows.

Contains: References to child marriage and gender discrimination, upsetting scenes