Director: Mohammadreza Yekani

Cast: Sajjad Bagheri, Samira Rezaei, Mostafa Etedadi, Siamak Soltani, Elina Razavi

Zendegi Chenin Ast is a 2023 Iranian family drama short film directed by Mohammadreza Yekani, offering a quietly powerful meditation on resilience and hope. At just twenty-six minutes, it delivers an emotional punch well beyond its modest runtime, reminding viewers that even the darkest seasons of life carry the seed of endurance.

What is Zendegi Chenin Ast about?

The film follows ordinary people caught in the weight of difficult circumstances — moments that would break lesser spirits, yet somehow do not. Yekani builds the story around a core conviction: no matter how crushing the present feels, despair is never the final word. Through small, human interactions and carefully observed details of everyday Iranian life, characters find small but meaningful reasons to keep going. The narrative avoids melodrama, leaning instead into quiet authenticity. Stakes are emotional rather than spectacular — this is a film about inner lives, the stubborn refusal to surrender hope, and the ordinary courage required to face another day.

Cast & crew

Mohammadreza Yekani directs a committed ensemble including Sajjad Bagheri and Samira Rezaei in the central roles, supported by Mostafa Etedadi, Siamak Soltani, Elina Razavi, Fatemeh Hosseini, Masih Sharifi, and Ashkan Rezaei. The cast brings a grounded naturalism to their roles, anchoring the film's emotional themes in recognizable, relatable human behaviour.

Context & significance

Short Iranian dramatic films occupy a vital space in the country's cinema culture — often more daring and personal than their feature-length counterparts, freed from commercial pressures to experiment with tone and subject. Zendegi Chenin Ast sits within this tradition of introspective social drama that has long resonated with Iranian audiences at home and in the diaspora. For Persian-speaking viewers abroad, the film speaks directly to the experience of perseverance under pressure — a theme that travels effortlessly across borders. Family drama in this mode carries particular weight for diaspora communities navigating distance, loss, and the challenge of holding on to identity and optimism across cultures. The film's brevity is an asset: it respects the viewer's time while delivering its message with sincerity.

Where & how to watch

Zendegi Chenin Ast is available on K-Time with the original Persian audio and English subtitles. Stream it on the web, your TV, or your phone — no VPN needed, no geo-blocking, no extra download required. Cancel anytime.