Director: Pouran Derakhshandeh
Cast: Merila Zarei, Tannaz Tabatabaei, Amir Aghaee, Babak Hamidian, Jamshid Hashem Pour
Hiss Dokhtara Faryad Nemizanand is a 2013 Iranian drama film directed by Pouran Derakhshandeh, centred on the silent suffering of a young girl whose trauma goes unseen and unheard by the adults around her. It is one of the most unflinching Iranian films to address child sexual abuse.
What is Hiss Dokhtara Faryad Nemizanand about?
Eight-year-old Shirin dreads the school bell each day — not because of what waits at school, but because of what waits on the drive home. The family's driver, Morad, has become a source of paralysing fear for her, yet she cannot find a single adult willing to truly listen. She reaches out, in small and desperate ways, to teachers, relatives, and neighbours, but each attempt dissolves into silence. The film traces her isolation with painful clarity, showing how institutional indifference and social taboo conspire to keep a child's wound hidden. The title says everything: girls are taught not to scream.
Cast & crew
Director Pouran Derakhshandeh, a veteran of socially committed Iranian cinema, shapes every scene around restraint rather than melodrama. Merila Zarei and Tannaz Tabatabaei anchor the adult world that fails Shirin, while Shahab Hosseini, Babak Hamidian, and Jamshid Hashem Pour fill supporting roles. Amir Aghaee portrays Morad, whose menace is rendered through silence as much as action.
Context & significance
Released in 2013 at a moment when Iranian cinema was gaining international attention for its social realism, this film broke a conspicuous silence in Persian-language storytelling. Child protection and gender-based violence were rarely addressed so directly on Iranian screens. For diaspora audiences — many of whom navigate cultures where these conversations are still difficult — the film carries particular weight. It belongs to a tradition of Iranian social drama that uses domestic spaces to expose systemic failures, and it stands alongside the work of directors like Jafar Panahi and Asghar Farhadi in its commitment to those left voiceless by society.
Where & how to watch
Hiss Dokhtara Faryad Nemizanand is available on K-Time with original Persian audio. Watch it on your TV, phone, or browser — no extra download required, no VPN, no geo-blocking. Subscribe and cancel anytime.