Cutting Through Rocks (EN)

43-year-old Sara Shahverdi lives in a remote village in northern Iran. An independent woman, she is committed to improving the future of young girls: encouraging them to continue their education, teaching them to ride motorcycles and campaigning against child marriage. But Sara’s fearless and outspoken approach earns her many enemies—especially among the men in the village.

“You must see yourselves as doctors, teachers, engineers,” Sara tells a classroom of schoolgirls, “so that you have power.” While she encourages the girls to finish their education before thinking about marriage, the village’s patriarchal society responds with hostility and intimidation. As the core of Sara’s identity is called into question, she is increasingly forced to fight her battle alone.

Cutting Through Rocks won the award for Best International Documentary at the Sundance Film Festival, the top jury prize in the international documentary competition. In 2026, the film was also nominated for an Oscar for Best Documentary Feature.

“A film that pulses with so much hopefulness.”
— The New York Times

“A thought-provoking portrait of an extraordinary spirit.”
★★★★ — The Guardian

“Uniquely propulsive… Practically magical.”
— Variety