“Ballerina” follows Mana, an eight-year-old girl preparing for her ballet recital under Iran’s restrictive laws, which forbid her father and all men from attending the show. Noticing her father’s absence in the audience, Mana halts the show and leads the children outside, dancing for her father — transforming the performance into a brave act of gentle defiance.
Director Details
Farima Khalili (b. 1993, Tehran) is an art manager and executive director with over nine years in film and theatre. Holding a degree in Theatre Directing, she founded RAW Company to present Iranian artists globally. Her award-winning works, The White Tree and Ballerina, embody her belief in the power of “Union in Diversity.”
Soheil Babaei (b. 1991, Iran) began as a radio actor at nine and is now a scriptwriter, director, and actor. His award-winning films have screened at major festivals including Fajr and Tehran Short. He received the Golden Mask of Europe at the Russian Art Festival in St. Petersburg.
