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About Love on a Small Island

A project by:
2018

Set on Qeshm Island in southern Iran, this ethnographic film intimately follows the everyday life of Saleh and his two wives, Miriam and Ayesheh, as they navigate an unconventional cohabitation shaped by love, tradition, and social expectation. After a dramatic romantic entanglement altered the course of their lives, the three now share a modest rural home, offering a rare and nuanced glimpse into the complexities of marriage and emotional intimacy in an Islamic cultural context.

Through observational footage and quiet moments of daily life, the film explores how personal relationships unfold within the boundaries of religious and social norms. It examines how villagers experience and express romantic love, negotiate gender roles, and interpret moral codes—often in ways that challenge external assumptions. Beyond its focus on one household, the film is a meditation on the condition of women in contemporary Iran. It seeks to peel back layers of myth and stereotype surrounding Muslim women, offering instead a grounded, human portrayal shaped by local histories and lived realities.

Best Student Film at the 2019 Society for Visual Anthropology Film and Media Festival

Best Foreign Documentary at the 2020 Budapest Independent Film Festival

Official Selection at
World Film Festival – Tartu, Estonia
Visions du reel – Nyon, Switzerland
RAI Film Festival – Bristol, United Kingdom
Kino Film Festival – Manchester, United Kingdom

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