Iran’s Karlovy Vary mystery title has been unmasked as Bidad, an independent drama about a young woman who risks prison by singing in Tehran’s streets. The festival said it hid the film’s selection until director Soheil Beiraghi and his team were safely out of the country; the world-premiere screening is set for 9 July in the Grand Hall, rounding out the 12-film Crystal Globe competition.
Shot clandestinely and financed without state approval, the 104-minute feature follows Seti, a Gen Z vocalist whose impromptu street concerts energise a generation chafing under Iran’s ban on female solo performance. Festival notes and trade reports say Beiraghi was questioned by security services during production, prompting organisers to keep the title off early line-ups.
An exclusive trailer released this week drew sharp exchanges online: reform-minded viewers applauded its defiant tone while conservative commentators condemned “Western propaganda.” The debate echoes wider cultural battles at home, where women singers frequently see their social-media accounts shuttered and live shows blocked.
Rights groups note at least a dozen female vocalists have faced legal action since December, including Parastoo Ahmady, jailed after livestreaming a hijab-free recital that racked up more than a million YouTube views; prosecutors warned her performance “violated cultural norms,” a charge that carries sentences of up to two years.
Karlovy Vary executives called Bidad’s inclusion “a necessary act of solidarity,” stressing that secrecy was required because Beiraghi’s crew had already been targeted over earlier films. In a brief statement, the director said he wanted “Iranian girls who hum quietly at home to hear their own echo on a big screen.”
Critics attending pre-festival press screenings say the film blends street-shot verité with musical sequences scored by experimental composer Bamdad Afshar, creating what one Czech journalist described as “a protest song turned into cinema.” Sales agent Alef Pictures is fielding offers ahead of the festival, and additional public screenings are slated for 10-12 July in venues across the spa town.
