Tehran Theatre Enters Busy August With New Productions
TEHRAN -- Iran’s theatre and independent cinema sectors are entering a busy August, with new productions opening across Tehran, while Iranian short films continue to secure selections at international festivals.
At Tehran’s City Theatre complex, Fires (Atash-Sooziha), directed by Morteza Mir-Montazemi, has recorded more than 8,300 admissions across 15 performances, according to figures released by the theatre.
The production, running in the Main Hall, has generated reported ticket sales of 5.21 billion tomans (about $27,700). Tickets are priced at 560,000–700,000 tomans (about $3–$3.70).
Other productions currently running at the complex include Nasser Avijeh’s A Missing Elephant at Chaharsou Theatre, Hasti Hosseini’s Horse Rider at Qashqai Theatre and Hirbod Olyaei’s The Beauty Queen of Li Ning at the Workshop Theatre.
Several new productions are also due to open in Tehran. Ali Asghari’s Boycott, a concert-theatre work combining drama and live music, begins performances at Noufel Le Chateau from 23 August. Hossein Mirzaeian performs seven roles in the production.
At Mehrgan Theatre, Mahmoud Mousavi’s musical comedy Sinbad and Firouz, written by Danial Tafreshi, begins performances on 17 August. The production previously appeared at Tehran’s Sanglaj Theatre, where it was reported to have attracted a substantial audience.
Sepehr Vaeziyan’s Mayyet, an absurd comedy about a recently buried man who remains convinced that he is alive, is also running at Mehrgan. The play uses encounters between the dead man and two worms to explore death, memory, judgement and the meaning of existence.
At Sanglaj Theatre, Mehdi Maleki’s Sibyl al-Saltaneh opens on 17 August. Set in the court of Qajar ruler Naser al-Din Shah, the comedy follows a mysterious murder through a fantastical interpretation of traditional Iranian theatrical forms.
Elsewhere, On the Road, directed by Amirhossein Alapour, is scheduled to run at Niavaran Cultural Centre from 9 August. The production is being presented in connection with the anniversary of the death of Imam Reza.
The fifth national Ney-Naleh festival of ritual and religious theatre is also taking place in Tabriz on 8–9 August, with eight groups participating in ta’zieh and street-theatre sections.
Iranian Short Films Continue International Run
Mostafa Vaziri’s One of Them has been selected for the ninth Cinétoile International Short Film Festival in Nabeul, Tunisia. The Iran-Italy production is represented internationally by Italian company Lights On.
The film’s international run began with its world premiere in the International Shorts competition at Kosovo’s DokuFest in 2025. It subsequently screened at HollyShorts in the United States, Batumi International Art-House Film Festival in Georgia and the Lanzarote International Film Festival in Spain.
Cinétoile, an open-air short-film festival based in Nabeul, is scheduled to hold its ninth edition from 1–6 August 2026, presenting international short films alongside workshops and discussions.
Meanwhile, Siavash Saedpanah’s Blue Bicycle continues its international festival circuit. The 16-minute Kurdish-language film, produced by Saied Nejati, centers on a teacher in a mountainous village and uses a misplaced blue bicycle as a symbol connecting a community dealing with loss and change. The film has been programmed by the Duhok International Film Festival.
Another short, Stone Father, written and directed by Mehdi Rezaei, has completed filming and entered post-production. The psychological drama examines the effects of childhood trauma on adult identity and relationships. Its opening is presented as a five-minute single take intended to establish the protagonist’s psychological state.
Hooten Shakiba Narrates Amélie Nothomb Novel
Actor Hooten Shakiba has narrated a Persian-language audiobook of Belgian writer Amélie Nothomb’s Killing the Father (Paternicide), released in August through Fidibo.
Originally published in 2011, the novel follows a 14-year-old boy with a talent for magic who leaves home and becomes the apprentice of an accomplished magician. Its themes include identity, deception and the complicated relationship between fathers and sons.
The audiobook is Shakiba’s latest collaboration with the Persian publishing and audio-production sector.