Home security camera footage forms the basis for Past Future Continuous, a documentary from directors Morteza Ahmadvand and Firouzeh Khosrovani that will screen in the Envision Competition program of the International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam (IDFA) from Saturday.
The doc, for which Taskovski Films is handling sales, had its world premiere in Venice’s Giornate degli Autori, or Venice Days, lineup. Now, it has a new trailer, which THR can exclusively premiere.
“Maryam fled Iran decades ago and settled in the United States. Her parents remained in Tehran. Now that they are growing older and political unrest is intensifying, she is concerned,” reads a synopsis. “She persuades them to install security cameras in every room, so she can stay in direct contact with them from a distance. Maryam finds herself glued to this virtual connection, only now realizing how lonely they must have been all these years.”
IDFA’s website promises a “moving, tender, and philosophical film.” The silent montage of security footage is intercut with childhood home videos as Maryam reflects on half a lifetime without her parents, growing up in Tehran, and why she can never return.
“Past Future Continuous is inspired by the personal experiences of friends and family who left Iran seeking new lives abroad,” say directors Ahmadvand and Khosrovani, who previously worked together on the 2020 film Radiograph of a Family. “Nearly every Iranian remaining in the country has considered leaving at some point, while some Iranians who have emigrated have longed to return. Past Future Continuous shifts focus from the act of leaving to the homes and land left behind – places that grow emptier over time. It reflects on the quiet loss of connection, the fading warmth of these spaces, and the enduring love that survives despite distance.”
Watch the trailer for Past Future Continuous for IDFA, which opens on Thursday, Nov. 13 and runs through Nov. 23, here.