The Bitter Tears of Zahra Zand | Trailer released for British-Iranian feature
BOOS BOOS BANG BANG is proud to announce the upcoming release of the Persian language drama, The Bitter Tears of Zahra Zand. The film will be available in UK cinemas from April.
The Bitter Tears of Zahra Zand features a talented international cast of Iranian heritage. With standout performances from poet and acclaimed actress Boshra Dastournezhad (Radio Dreams), and young stage talent Melina Farahani (As You Like It).
A dazzling, high-stakes melodrama of exile and unraveling, The Bitter Tears of Zahra Zand is a whirlwind of glamour, heartbreak, and dark humor. As a legendary Iranian fashion designer clings to the ghosts of her past, she spirals into a tragicomic descent – fighting for relevance, identity, and survival in a country that isn’t her own.
Zahra Zand has fled the Islamic Revolution of 1979. Robbed of her success and recently divorced, she lives in the stylish fantasy world of her apartment in 1980s London. Desperate to reinvent herself, she discovers a young and free-spirited muse named Sheila. So begins Zahra’s romantic attempt to recapture her glory days.
With a screenplay co-written by director Vahid Hakimzadeh and star Boshra Dastournezhad and produced by Reza Sixo Safai (A Girl Walks Home Alone At Night, Circumstance), Danny de Warren (Sing Street, The Letter for The King), and Sameer Patel (Long Walk Home). The film’s world premiere will be at Cinequest festival in San Jose on 17th March, before it heads to UK cinemas in April.
Check out the trailer here:
Riffing on Fassbinder’s The Bitter Tears of Petra Kant, the film is an unforgettable portrait of an artist on the edge.
Speaking about the inspiration for the film, director Vahid Hakimzadeh said, “The Bitter Tears of Zahra Zand is a bittersweet valentine to my parent’s generation, who were caught between impossible contradictions of East and West at a tumultuous time in history. The characters in this film may have escaped Iran, but they are still haunted by the intergenerational trauma of their heritage. Through the culture clash of different cinematic traditions I have aimed to create a film that feels neither Iranian nor Western, yet is very much both – a tragicomedy that embodies the contradictions of its characters.”
Producer Reza Sixo Safai commented, “From ‘A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night’ to this film, I’ve been drawn to projects that craft worlds both deeply Iranian and entirely singular. This one is no exception—it’s bold, unexpected, and a fusion of elements that rarely come together but absolutely should. It reflects the hybrid nature of my identity and, in many ways, the world we live in today—where cultures, histories, and aesthetics collide to create something entirely new.”
On the release, producer Danny de Warren said, “This film is a unique collaboration between Iranian creatives from all over the world. Shot with a small cast and crew on location in London, it is an intimate, local story that overflows with universal truths and influence.”
Producer Sameer Patel describes the film as, “A poignant journey into the sorrow of losing one’s land and the challenges that follow, beautifully captured through Vahid and Boshra’s talent in every frame of the film.”
In taking the lead role, Boshra Dastournezhad said, “All of the characters in this story are real people in my eyes. Although they hurt each other so much, it comes from their own hurt. Making this film has helped me to see my own painful experiences and those of others in a more compassionate light.”
The Bitter Tears of Zahra Zand will be in select UK cinemas in April 2025