Director: Hasan Najafi

Cast: Almaz Amanova, Kamran Yunis

Sahme Gomshode is an Iranian drama film directed and written by Hasan Najafi, produced in association with the Sahar International Arts Network. The film centers on the Ashura observance within an Azerbaijani family in Iran, weaving together faith, loss, and communal belonging.

What is Sahme Gomshode about?

An Azerbaijani family in Iran prepares for the days of Ashura, the most solemn period in the Shia Muslim calendar. As the rituals and mourning gather momentum, old wounds within the household quietly resurface. Relationships are tested, loyalties are examined, and each member of the family must confront what the observance truly means to them personally. The film unfolds through quiet, intimate scenes that prioritize emotion over spectacle, allowing the weight of tradition to press against the private struggles of ordinary people. What begins as a communal ceremony gradually becomes a mirror reflecting the family's own unresolved grief and unspoken bonds.

Cast & crew

The film is directed and written by Hasan Najafi, a filmmaker working within Iran's state-supported arts infrastructure, here channeling a deeply religious theme into a family character study. The lead cast includes Almaz Amanova and Kamran Yunis, who anchor the domestic drama with restrained, emotionally grounded performances befitting the film's meditative register.

Context & significance

Ashura-themed cinema occupies a distinct space in Iranian film culture, blending devotional purpose with human drama. For diaspora viewers — many of whom grew up observing Moharram in Iran or in Iranian communities abroad — Sahme Gomshode offers a rare on-screen acknowledgment of Azerbaijani-Iranian identity, a community that has historically been underrepresented in Persian-language storytelling. The film's participation in the 26th Fajr Film Festival signals its place within Iran's official cultural conversation, making it a document as much as a drama. Viewers seeking stories that treat faith as lived experience rather than backdrop will find the film's approach thoughtful.

Where & how to watch

Sahme Gomshode is available to stream on K-Time with Persian audio. Watch on your browser, Android TV, or phone — no VPN needed, no geo-blocking, and no extra download required. Subscribe and cancel anytime.