Burial Permit film poster

A film by Hashem Aliakbari

Burial Permit

جواز دفن

A man about to leave Iran runs into bureaucracy and gender inequality as he tries to bury his mother.

Year
2025
Runtime
11′44″
Genre
Short drama
Language
Persian, English subtitles
Countries
Iran · USA
Distribution
Contemporary Film International Distribution
Winner · Best Drama Short · Lost Weekend XIX
FilmFreeway pagePress coverage

Festivals & awards

14 festivals · 8 countries

Awards & recognitions

  • Winner
    Best Drama Short

    Film Club's Lost Weekend XIX · Winchester, Virginia, USA

  • Winner
    Best Actor, Drama Short

    Freewheeling Film Awards · London, UK

  • Finalist
    Audience Favorite Short Film

    Film Club's Lost Weekend XIX · Winchester, Virginia, USA

  • Finalist
    Asian Talents Competition

    16th Baku International Film Festival · Baku, Azerbaijan

  • Finalist
    Official Selection, Finalist

    The Bay International Film Festival · Morecambe, England, UK

Screenings

ScreeningFestivalPlaceStatus
November 20–28, 202620th Lublin Film FestivalLublin, Poland
Center for Culture in Lublin		Upcoming
October 25, 202621st Annual Rocket City Short Film FestivalHuntsville, Alabama, USA
Studio Huntsville		Official selection
October 25, 2026Central Coast International Film FestivalCamarillo, California, USA
Regal Camarillo		Official selection
October 23, 2026Hobnobben Film Festival (11th edition)
Also streamed online through November 10, 2026		Fort Wayne, Indiana, USA
Cinema Center		Official selection
October 10, 202621st Marbella International Film FestivalMarbella, Spain
Odeon Multicines, Puerto Banús		Official selection
September 27, 2026Film Club's Lost Weekend XIX
Best Drama Short · Finalist, Audience Favorite		Winchester, Virginia, USA
Alamo Drafthouse Cinema		Winner
June 18, 202621st A.S.T.O. International Short Film FestivalPatras, Greece
Skagiopoulio Foundation		Official selection
February 28, 2026Oxford Film Festival
Sold-out screening		Oxford, Mississippi, USA
Malco Oxford Commons		Official selection
January 28, 2026The Bay International Film FestivalMorecambe, England, UK
West End Playhouse		Finalist
January 28, 2026Sofia MENAR Film FestivalSofia, Bulgaria
Cultural Center G8		Official selection
December 7, 202516th Baku International Film Festival
Asian Talents Competition		Baku, Azerbaijan
Nizami Cinema Center		Finalist
November 7–8, 202526th Maryland Film FestivalBaltimore, Maryland, USA
SNF Parkway Theatre		Official selection
—Flickers' Rhode Island International Film FestivalRhode Island, USAOfficial selection
—BIAFF · Batumi International Art-House Film FestivalBatumi, GeorgiaOfficial selection

About the film

Burial Permit follows an Iranian man who is preparing to leave the country when his mother dies. What should be a simple burial turns into a struggle with paperwork, permissions and rules that treat men and women differently.

The film was shot in Iran in about two weeks, with postproduction split between Iran and the United States.

Cast

  • Hamidreza Mohammadi
  • Sahra Asadollahi
  • Navid Layeghi Moghaddam
  • Setareh Heydarabadi
  • Ali Ghiyasvand
  • Touran Ramezani
  • Amir Ghafarmanesh (featuring)
  • Mahtissa Pasandideh (child actor)

Crew

Writer & Director
Hashem Aliakbari
Producers
Hashem Aliakbari, Ghazal Mojtahedi
Director of Photography
Keyvan Shabani
First Assistant Director
Ali Ghayasvand
Editor
Hamed Aliakbari
Composer
Behzad Bakhtiari
Sound Designer
Neda Mohseni
Sound Recordist
Erfan Rezaei
Set Designer
Nasim Maleki
Costume Designer
Zohre Rahmani
Makeup Designer
Meysam Gharagozlou
Colorist
Mehran Jebely
Production Manager
Hossein Keshavarz
Logistics Manager
Mehdi Naseh
Poster Design
Mehdi Mousavitabar