A wind of change moves through a remote Iranian village in the form of Sara Shahverdi—its first elected councilwoman. With unwavering determination, she challenges patriarchal norms, by fighting for womens’ right to property and to participate in decisions that affect them. To empower the local teenage girls, she is teaching them to ride motorcycles and resist child marriage. But as her influence grows, so does suspicion of her intentions. Her motives are questioned, her identity picked apart in this quietly powerful portrait that observes with tenderness and frankness, capturing a timely struggle to be heard and to live authentically.

– Elena Gaitanarou