Story perspectives
Trailblazing Iranian Woman Wins Sundance for Women's Rights Documentary
10/17/2025
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Story summary
- The documentary Cutting Through Rocks profiles Sara Shahverdi, the first woman elected to a local council in conservative Iran, as she advocates for women's land rights.
- Iranian American directors Sara Khaki and Mohammadreza Eyni chronicle Shahverdi's rise from the village's only female motorcyclist to leading a group of girls on motorcycles.
- The film has earned the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance and will be released in theaters on November 21.
