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CUTTING THROUGH ROCKS

Sara Khaki, Mohammadreza Eyni, Iran / Germany / USA / Netherlands / Quatar / Chile / Canada, 2025, 95 Min., documentary, Farsi, Azerbaijani with English subtitles

In a small village called Benzin in northwestern Iran, the unthinkable happens: Sara Shahverdi—a divorced, motorcycle-riding former midwife—becomes the first Iranian woman to be elected to the local council. Tenacious and not easily intimidated, Sara is determined to improve her community and put an end to the empty promises and laziness that have been cultivated by local councilors for years. But it is precisely as an advocate for the girls and women in her village that she encounters the greatest resistance. Among other things, she wants to break long-standing patriarchal traditions by teaching teenage girls to ride motorcycles and preventing child marriage. When accusations are made that question Sara’s intentions to empower girls, her identity is shaken. A story about a woman who takes on responsibility early on, puts her own happiness aside, and gives hope to a young generation of women.
Sara Khaki and Mohammadreza Eyni (directors)
Sara Khaki
Sara Khaki is the Grand Jury Award winner of the World Cinema Documentary category of the 2025 Sundance Film Festival for her feature documentary, Cutting Through Rocks. Her co-directed film, Our Iranian Lockdown, featured on The Guardian, was nominated for a 2020 IDA Award, which led to her co-directing contribution to the Netflix Original documentary feature, Convergence, which received a 2022 Emmy nomination. A Chicken & Egg Films and Sundance Alumni, Sara is a director, producer, and editor with dedication to stories about gender equity. Sara graduated from the University of Maryland Baltimore with a BFA in cinematic arts and from the School of Visual Arts (SVA) with an MFA in Social Documentary Filmmaking. She is the co-founder of Gandom Films Production L.L.C., a US-based company that collaborates with top industry professionals to create socially engaging films.
Mohammadreza Eyni
Mohammadreza Eyni is the Grand Jury Award winner of the World Cinema Documentary category of the 2025 Sundance Film Festival for his feature documentary, Cutting Through Rocks. A Sundance and Tribeca Alumnus, Mohammadreza is a director, producer, and cinematographer, whose career and cinematic approach bridges boundaries and elevates underrepresented voices, connecting diverse perspectives globally . As the co-founder of Gandom Films Production L.L.C., Mohammadreza has produced and directed international films, such as his co-directing contribution on the feature-length documentary, Convergence, a Netflix Original, which received a 2022 Emmy nomination. Mohammadreza’s co-directed short Our Iranian Lockdown, featured on The Guardian, was nominated for an IDA Award. His collaboration as a writer and producer on a fiction film has recently been developed at HFPA and Film Independent. A 2021 Firelight Media fellow, 2020 Sundance Institute Documentary Fund grantee and Tribeca Film Institute alum, Mohammadreza graduated with an MFA in cinema from Tehran University of Fine Arts.
Tickets: Tue, Nov. 4, 7:15 p.m.
In the presence of: Faravaz Farvardin (expert)
Berlin premiere
CUTTING THROUGH ROCKS celebrated its world premiere at the Sundance Festival and its German premiere at DOK Leipzig. The film was also presented at the San Francisco International Film Festival, Edinburgh International Film Festival, and Sydney Film Festival. At the Sundance Film Festival, the film was awarded the Grand Jury Prize in the “World Cinema – Documentary” category.

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