Strict censorship in Iran forces Nina Zarabi to pursue filmmaking dreams elsewhere

By Philomena Okolo

Nina Zarabi an Iranian filmmaker who left her home country to pursue dreams of creative freedom after years of facing strict censorship.

“It is very hard for a female director to break through on their own,” said Nina Zarabi, a Langara’s film arts alumni. “No freedom of speech, anything could be a red flag for them if it’s out of the Islamic ethics or it portrays political issues.”

In October 2021, Zarabi arrived in Canada from Iran and enrolled in Langara’s film writing program which started in January 2022 and film directing in January 2023 before graduating in August 2023.

Zarabi’s filmmaking journey began in her home country of Iran when she enrolled in film school. Iran is a country with a renowned history of filmmaking, today, however, Iranian visual storytellers face numerous restrictions placed on their creative process.

Zarabi’s first film was a school project in 2017 titled, the Lonely Cat Meowing. After the film was completed, she was able to access distributors outside Iran allowing it to be screened at the Seattle International Film Festival.

“I am going to be forever thankful of my experience in Iran,” Zarabi said. “Reading all those poets and books in Farsi made my vision possible.”

Risky business

The Pink Line released in 2019, was Zarabi’s second movie and more ambitious than her first film. The film toyed with ideas of infidelity by a married woman, a sensitive and forbidden subject throughout Iran.

“It was a very tough project because it was hard to find actors for the storyline,” Zarabi said. “This is something that carries a death penalty in my country. It was a very big risk.”

Zarabi said she eventually found actors and crew members among the indie filmmaker community in Iran.

“I worked for a couple of years and spent my money on the film. That was the story of funds. I never received any funds from any government,” Zarabi said.

In order to have creative freedom and avoid restrictions, Zarabi shot the majority of the movie indoors.

Although Zarabi received many positive reviews from her peers after the Pink Line was completed, the film could never be screened or distributed in Iran because of the subject matter.

Zarabi’s final film before leaving Iran in 2021 was titled, Go Back to the Sky, released in 2024.
The film follows the story of a girl who sees the world upside down due to a traumatic event affecting her brain.

Tragedy helps to drive the creative process

Inspired by the real-life missile attack on Ukraine International Airlines flight PS752 during take off from Tehran en route to Kyiv, Ukraine on Jan. 8, 2020. The attack killed all 176 aboard, including Zarabi’s cousin with 138 passengers who were connected to Canada.

The Iran Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps later took responsibility for the missile attack.
The main character is a fictional person who lost relatives on flight PS752 and is experiencing severe trauma as a result.

“The idea stayed with me until I thought I should do something about it. I was there and that was how this story was created,” said Zarabi.

Although a country wide notice was sent out by the government prohibiting any depiction of the incident, Zarabi went ahead and brought her project to life.

“I knew it was going to be my last project in Iran, so I never cared what was going to happen to me after that,” Zarabi said. “I took the risk and funded it myself after working for a couple of years.”

In February 2025, Go Back to the Sky earned international recognition as it was screened at the MENA, Middle Eastern Northern Africa, film festival held annually in Vancouver.

Jonas Quastel, program coordinator of the Langara’s film arts program and one of Zarabi’s instructors during her time in the program, applauded Zarabi’s tenacity towards her craft.

“She had studied film in Iran … So she came here with some training,” said Quastel.
“It’s very good. Very strong vision. Very creative.”

He praised her unique perspective, saying that it would have been a tough skill to hone, growing up in a country that sought to silence her creativity.

Sally Raeesi, who works alongside Zarabi in Vancouver, described her as both diligent and resourceful.

Zarabi said her time at Langara was “amazing,” and the “instructors are great … They’re so supportive.”

“I made two beautiful short films in Langara, both in fantasy,” Zarabi said.

Despite Vancouver’s reputation as a thriving film hub, financial support for independent projects is scarce, leaving emerging filmmakers struggling to bring their vision to life.

For actor and producer Erin Purghart, funding challenges became evident early in her career. “I started producing my own show as a comedian, which led me into film production,” she said.

Purghart was involved in Crazy 8’s, a highly competitive Vancouver short film competition that provides funding for select projects each year.

Purghart was the lead producer on DTF, a short film that finished in the top six at Crazy 8’s last year. “Usually they don’t recommend that your first time lead producing is a Crazy 8’s project. But it worked out great for me,” she said.

However, with a stringent process put in place for grants and sponsorships applications, many independent filmmakers who are just starting out, often have a hard time accessing these funds. “I applied for many years and in my first three to five years of applying for grants, my success rate was zero per cent,” said Arnold Lim, award-winning film director and producer.

“I wish funding was more accessible for the individual,” Purghart said. “It’s a lot easier if you’re a non-profit organization or a production company.”