Paikar

Dawood Hilmandi
RELEASE Thu 28 May
  • Content rating: kijkwijzer14
  • Content rating: Fear

The Dutch-Afghan filmmaker Dawood reconnects with his authoritarian father — “Baba” — an imam with a violent past, in an attempt to come to terms with their troubled history.

To bridge the growing distance between himself and his father, Dawood sets out from his home in Amsterdam on a fragile journey in which they retrace Baba’s past through Afghanistan, Iran, and Iraq — places marked by faith and violence, exile and return. As they walk through the ruins of memory, the film reveals layers of intergenerational trauma, resilience, and unspoken love.

Paikar, which won three awards at International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam, is both a personal search for liberation and a universal story about overcoming alienation. It is a film that shows how, even in the face of adversity, space can emerge for freedom, creativity, and renewed connection.

Paikar
Direction
Dawood Hilmandi
Duration
97 min
RELEASE
Thu 28 May
Year
2025
Country
Afghanistan, The Netherlands, Iran
Language
Dari, English, Dutch
Subtitles
Dutch
  • Content rating: kijkwijzer14
  • Content rating: Fear

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