Director: Hojjat Ahmadizar
Cast: Ali Zakariaei, Shirin Esmaeeli, Reza Akhlaghirad
Hamdard is a 2021 Iranian short film directed by Hojjat Ahmadizar, running approximately fifteen minutes. Set against the weight of an ordinary family's crisis, it traces two siblings racing against time to secure money for their mother's urgent heart surgery — a compressed, quietly devastating portrait of desperation and solidarity.
What is Hamdard about?
Leila and her brother Ali are searching everywhere they can think of — the local mosque, friends, neighbors, anyone — to gather the funds their mother needs before it is too late. Every door they knock on carries the weight of pride and urgency. Their last real possibility is their mother's own savings, held in a financial cooperative that has run into trouble, making withdrawal far more complicated than it should be. The film follows the siblings across a single fraught day, watching their options narrow while the clock runs. Ahmadizar keeps the camera close, letting small gestures and silence carry the emotional load rather than melodrama.
Cast & crew
The film is directed by Hojjat Ahmadizar. Ali Zakariaei leads as Ali, the brother carrying much of the physical search across the film's brief runtime. Shirin Esmaeeli plays Leila, his sister, whose resolve anchors the story. Reza Akhlaghirad appears in a supporting role that shapes a key turning point in the siblings' efforts.
Context & significance
Short Iranian cinema has a long tradition of finding enormous emotional territory within minimal running time and modest means — a lineage that includes some of the most celebrated moments in world cinema. Hamdard sits in that tradition: a film about the specific texture of financial desperation in contemporary Iran, where institutions meant to protect ordinary people can become obstacles. For diaspora audiences, the scenario carries particular resonance — the image of siblings pooling every social connection to save a parent is a universal family experience rendered in unmistakably Iranian social fabric. The film asks nothing of its audience except attention, and rewards it with honesty.
Where & how to watch
Hamdard is available on K-Time with original Persian audio and Persian subtitles. You can watch on the web browser, your TV, or your phone — no VPN needed, no geo-blocking, no extra download required. Subscribe and cancel anytime.