TEHRAN-Three documentaries and two jurors from Iran are present at the 56th Visions du Réel, underway in Nyon, Switzerland.

“Cutting Through Rocks” by Mohammadreza Eyni and Sara Khaki, “Within the Sun” by Sepideh Jamshidi Nejad, and “Higher Than Acidic Clouds” by Ali Asgari are the Iranian films participating in the event while Elaheh Nobakht and Mohammad Rezaeian are serving as jurors in various sections of the festival, Honaronline reported.

“Cutting Through Rocks” tells the story of Sara Shahverdi, the first elected councilwoman of her village, who aims to break long-held patriarchal traditions by training teenage girls to ride motorcycles and stopping child marriages. When accusations arise questioning Sara’s intentions to empower the girls, her identity is put in turmoil. 

A joint production of Iran, Germany, the U.S., Qatar, Netherlands, Chile, and Canada, the 94-minute movie was the winner of the World Cinema Documentary Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival.

“Within the Sun” depicts the suffocating heat of a remote salt mine, where six elderly women work seasonally. While their hands and faces are weathered by years of labor, their resolve remains unshaken. 

The 28-minute film is a collective portrait of resilience and quiet strength, offering a glimpse into the rhythm of these women’s daily lives, and how the harsh environment shapes their existence and soul.

In “Higher Than Acidic Clouds,” a defiant filmmaker is forced to confront his life’s work through a surreal journey of the imagination – all while apocalyptic clouds loom over the city, threatening to snuff out his creative rebellion. 

For this year’s edition of the festival, respected film personalities and professionals are invited to award the festival’s prizes to filmmakers whose works stand out for their uniqueness and ambition.

Elaheh Nobakht is a producer in Iranian cinema, renowned for her achievements in international film production and distribution. She is one of the jurors in the National section of Visions du Réel.

With a portfolio that includes seven feature films and two short films, she has earned recognition at prestigious festivals like Berlinale, IDFA, and Hot Docs. 

Her notable works include “Dreams’ Gate” (Berlinale 2023), “The Apple Day” (Berlinale 2022), “Silent House” (IDFA 2022), “Holy Bread” (IDFA 2020, Hot Docs 2021, ZagrebDox 2021), and “Beloved” (IDFA, Berlinale, Hot Docs; over 65 international festivals). 

She also distributed “Finding Farideh,” Iran’s official Oscar entry in 2020. She has also served as a jury member at multiple international film festivals and received prestigious accolades, including the Producers Network Prize for Promising Young Producers at Cannes Marché du Film (Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival 2022). In 2025, she was selected as a Berlinale Talent. 

As the CEO of ELI Image since 2018, Nobakht plays a pivotal role in global film production and distribution. She is also a board member of the Iranian Producers Association (IPA) and a member of the Iranian Documentary Producers Association (AOIDP). Currently, she is working on four feature films in co-production with France, Norway, and Germany.

Mohammad Rezaeian is another Iranian juror who is on the jury panel of the Interreligious section of the festival.

Born in Tehran, Rezaeian grew up in Berlin, Tehran, and Bern, studied law in Bern and business administration in Tehran. He works with and in the different cultures of the East and West as a builder of bridges, intercultural translator, lawyer and project manager, and brings people and cultures together. 

His main topics are economic analyses, legal implementation and the development of culturally appropriate implementations in new market openings. Through his interest in literature and film, which oscillates between the rationalism of Descartes and the love of Rumi, he tries to better understand his own and other cultures and to bring people together.

Visions du Réel (Visions of Reality) is an internationally renowned documentary film festival held in April each year in Nyon, Switzerland. 

Established in 1969 as the Nyon International Documentary Film Festival, the event adopted its current name in 1995 and is the largest Swiss documentary festival.

For over five decades, Visions du Réel has been presenting audacious and singular works, imbued with past, present or future realities.

Over ten days, the festival turns Nyon into a focal point at which several generations of filmmakers and artists from all over the world find a loyal audience on a voyage of discovery. 

Recognized globally as one of the major festivals dedicated to non-fiction filmmaking, it presents a majority of films as world or international premieres, and constitutes an essential platform for creation for the thousands of film professionals who meet there every year.

Launched on April 4, this year’s edition of the festival will conclude on April 13, awarding the winners of various sections.

SS/SAB