Director: Seyed Javad Hashemi

Cast: Alireza Khamseh, Niusha Zeighami, Yousef Timouri, Amin Zendegani, Farhad Aeish

Shahre Gorbeha is a 2022 Iranian comedy-fantasy family film directed by Seyed Javad Hashemi, following a group of garden cats who embark on an unexpected journey to the mythical City of Cats, only to discover that the world awaiting them is far more dangerous than they imagined.

What is Shahre Gorbeha about?

A band of ambitious, self-interested cats living in a garden find themselves drawn into a competition orchestrated by the city's cunning ruling advisor. Each cat carries a personal dream — fame, comfort, power — and the contest seems to promise it all. With hope in their hearts, they set off toward the fabled City of Cats. What they do not know is that the city's ruler harbors a sinister agenda tied to the discoveries of a figure named Graffsor, whose research holds the key to an unspeakable scheme. As the cats move deeper into the city, the gap between their fantasies and reality grows wide, and the stakes become nothing less than their own lives.

Cast & crew

The film is directed by Seyed Javad Hashemi, a filmmaker working in the Iranian family and animation-adjacent live-action space. The ensemble cast includes Alireza Khamseh, Niusha Zeighami, Yousef Timouri, Amin Zendegani, Farhad Aeish, and Amir Ghaffarmanesh, all lending their voices and presence to a colorful lineup of feline characters with distinct personalities.

Context & significance

Iranian family cinema has a strong tradition of using animal allegory to speak to adult anxieties through a child-friendly lens — a lineage stretching from early animated folk tales to contemporary live-action fantasies. Shahre Gorbeha follows this thread, wrapping themes of greed, ambition, and political manipulation inside a visually playful world that children can enjoy and parents can quietly reflect on. For diaspora families raising children outside Iran, films like this offer a rare chance to share a piece of Persian popular culture together — humor, storytelling rhythm, and character archetypes that feel distinctly Iranian even when translated across borders. It is the kind of film that works on a family movie night.

Where & how to watch

Shahre Gorbeha is available to watch on K-Time with the original Persian audio. Stream it on your TV, computer, or phone — no VPN needed, no geo-blocking, and no extra download required. Subscribe and cancel anytime.