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Cutting Through Rocks

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Cutting Through Rocks
Directed bySara Khaki, Mohammadreza Eyni
Produced bySara Khaki, Mohammadreza Eyni
CinematographyMohammaderza Eyni
Edited bySara Khaki, Mohammadreza Eyni
Music byKarim Sebastian Elias
Production
company
Gandom Films Production
Release date
Running time
95 mins
CountriesQatar, Chile, Iran, Canada, Netherlands, Germany, United States
LanguagesAzerbaijani, Turkish, Persian, English

Cutting Through Rocks is a 2025 documentary film directed by Sara Khaki and Mohammadreza Eyni about the first woman councilwoman in a rural Iranian village. The film is the feature debut of married Iranian directors Khaki and Eyni.[2][3][4]

Synopsis

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As the first elected councilwoman of her Iranian village, Sara Shahverdi 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.[5]

Release

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Cutting Through Rocks had its world premiere at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival in the World Documentary Competition.[1] Following its Sundance premiere, the film also screened at Visions du Reél, San Francisco International Film Festival, and Hot Docs Canadian International Film Festival.

Reception

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On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film has a 100% rating. [6] Following its Sundance premiere, Lauren Wissot from Indiewire called the film "a deftly shaped work of cinematic nonfiction" and Autlook Filmsales, one of the leading documentary sales outfits,[7] acquired the film.[8]

On January 31, Cutting Through Rocks received the World Cinema Grand Jury Prize: Documentary at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival, with the Sundance jury saying, "this beautiful and nuanced portrait shows us a fearless eccentric who confronts male-dominated society when she runs for office in a remote Iranian village. Her determination, warmth, and humor and the way her story is told left us in awe."[9]

On April 11, the film was awarded the Audience Award in the Wide Angle section at Visions du Reél in Nyon, Switzerland.[10] On May 1, Cutting Through Rocks was predicted as the Winner of the 2026 Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature by Variety.[11]

References

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  1. ^ a b Lang, Robert (2025-01-27). "Sundance Film Festival Photos: 'Love, Brooklyn' & 'The Wedding Banquet' Premieres On Day 5". Deadline. Retrieved 2025-03-02.
  2. ^ Holland, Jonathan. "'Cutting Through Rocks': Sundance Review". Screen. Retrieved 2025-03-02.
  3. ^ Wissot, Lauren (2025-01-29). "'Cutting Through Rocks' Review: A Sharp Documentary Profiles a Motorcycle-Loving Woman Who Takes on the Patriarchy in Rural Iran". IndieWire. Retrieved 2025-03-02.
  4. ^ Adlakha, Siddhant (2025-01-29). "'Cutting Through Rocks' Review: An Iranian Woman Tries to Change Her Village in a Conflicted Documentary". Variety. Retrieved 2025-03-02.
  5. ^ "Cutting Through Rocks (اوزاک یوللار) | Sundance Film Festival 2025". festivalplayer.sundance.org. Retrieved 2025-05-11.
  6. ^ "Cutting Through Rocks | Rotten Tomatoes". www.rottentomatoes.com. Retrieved 2025-03-02.
  7. ^ Macnab2024-09-10T09:00:00+01:00, Geoffrey. "Autlook Filmsales appoints new CEO (exclusive)". Screen. Retrieved 2025-05-10.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  8. ^ Barraclough, Leo (2025-02-11). "Sundance Grand Jury Winner 'Cutting Through Rocks' Acquired by Autlook Ahead of Berlinale (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved 2025-05-10.
  9. ^ "The Complete List of 2025 Sundance Film Festival Award Winners | Sundance Film Festival". Sundance.org. 2025-01-31. Retrieved 2025-05-10.
  10. ^ Pedersen, Lise (2025-04-11). "Visions du Réel Crowns 'The Prince of Nanawa' as Grand Prix Winner, 'The Vanishing Point' Claims Burning Lights Award". Variety. Retrieved 2025-05-10.
  11. ^ Davis, Clayton (2025-05-01). "Oscars Predictions 2026: 'Sinners' Becomes Early Contender Ahead of Cannes Film Festival". Variety. Retrieved 2025-05-10.
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