Screenings
Online edition of the 66th KFF
Memories of a Window
USA, Iran, Germany2025documentary19'Short film competition
During protests in Iran in 2022–2023 many residents started to document the events from a seemingly safe distance – from apartment and car windows. Fragments of these videos add up to an unofficial archive of the protest, an alternative to the state’s narrative. One of the women filming the street gets killed and her story becomes the turning point. The film’s director tries to preserve the memory of her gesture and writes her a letter. This poetic essay intertwines personal memories with stark urban imagery, showing how documenting events from a window can become an instrument of resistance.
- directed by
- Amin Pakparvar
An independent filmmaker and essayist, born in 1998. He developed a focus on archival research while earning his MA in Visual and Critical Studies at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC). His practice examines how contemporary Iranian archives can be reconfigured into potential histories that critically reframe the present and future. Amin’s documentary films have been screened at international festivals, including Durban, Tehran, and Athens, and featured at major art fairs such as Expo Chicago.
Mehraneh Salimian
An Iranian filmmaker whose work spans documentary, fiction, and video installation. With a background in 16mm filmmaking, she explores the intersection of public and private spaces and the sensory dimensions of personal and collective memory. Her work has been screened at Oscar-qualifying film festivals worldwide and exhibited at major venues, including EXPO Chicago, Northwestern’s Dittmar Gallery, and SAIC’s SITE Gallery. Mehraneh holds an MFA in Film from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.
- script
- Amin Pakparvar, Mehraneh Salimian
- editing
- Amin Pakparvar, Mehraneh Salimian
- production
- Amin Pakparvar, Mehraneh Salimian (Grainy Pixel Film Production)
- Photo
- Trailer