Fruits of Despair

Forum Expanded 2026

While making a documentary about the Palestine-Israel war, an Iranian filmmaker is abruptly drawn into war himself when violence erupts in his own country. Forced to flee Tehran with his family, he finds temporary refuge in a suburban home, where daily life collapses into uncertainty and waiting. Over twelve tense days, the film transforms from an analytical essay into a self-reflective diary shaped by displacement, fear and observation. Through fragments of news, personal recordings and quiet moments of reflection, the filmmaker documents not only the unfolding war but also his own psychological and emotional struggle. As he revisits the story of his original subject, an unsettling parallel emerges; his present circumstances mirror the experiences of his subject forty years earlier. The boundary between observer and participant dissolves and the work becomes a meditation on survival, exile and identity. Rather than simply recording events, Fruits of Despair explores how conflict reshapes life, memory and authorship, examining both personal and collective histories caught between war and reflection.

by Nima Nassaj (Director, Screenplay) Iran 2026 Farsi 29' Colour World premiere | Documentary form

Crew

Director	Nima Nassaj
Screenplay	Nima Nassaj
Cinematography	Nima Nassaj
Editing	Nima Nassaj
Sound Design	Mahour Mirshakak
Art Director	Ali Baghernezhad
Producer	Nima Nassaj
Co-Producer	Mahshid Afzali

Produced by

Nima Nassaj

Teheran, Iran

Co-produced by

4th Projects

Teheran, Iran

World Sales

Raina Film Festival Distribution

Helsinki, Finland

Photos

Nima Nassaj

Nima Nassaj is a Tehran-based filmmaker. Following a career as a cinematographer, he began directing in 2019, developing a multidisciplinary practice across fiction, documentary and video art. His work explores identity, memory and human isolation, investigating the intersection of personal and collective histories. In 2025, he founded the Blue Bird Film Archive to preserve and reinterpret archival materials. By blending visual anthropology with cinema, Nassaj crafts intimate portraits of Iran’s modern history and the universal human experience.

Filmography

2019 زیرنورماه (Under The Moonlight) 2021 درباد (In The Wind) 2023 دهمتریچندم؟ (On Which Crossroad?) 2024 خانهمیاندرختاننارنجاست (A House Among Orange Trees) 2026 میوههایملال (Fruits of Despair); Forum Expanded 2026

Bio- & filmography as of Berlinale 2026