Shâd Bâsh

Directed By Hélène Rastegar and Hélène Rastegar

Bâbâdjoun, dear dad, what’s Iran like now? What if I go there? History has meddled in our lives,

diverting our personal histories, creating knots and lacks. Going to Iran, an impulse towards you who my life has missed so much. But am I able of going to the land you fled? In the memory of my heart, the lines of a Persian poem you taught me: "Nothing remains, everything passes, everything changes, so live in joy! ". Bâbâdjoun, will we have enough time to make up for lo...

  • ABOUT
  • BIO
  • SCREENINGS
  • AWARDS
  • CREDITS

Shâd Bâsh is a documentary about my relation with my father and with Iran, the country of his origin.

I’m a screenwriter and director, co‑founder of « Chacun Son Court », a short film festival I created during my studies and ran for five years before joining the writing residency at Ardèche Images in Lussas.


Trained to shoot and develop Super 8 and 16 mm, I move between digital and analog formats, exploring fiction, documentary, and experimental cinema—often through independent or collaborative projects.

My work is shaped by a dual Iranian heritage, constantly evolving, and inhabited by women whose bodies carry the tension of inner battles: to endure, to speak, to exist.


I’m a Berlinale Talents and IDFAcademy alumna, laureate of the Institut de l’Engagement, and recipient of the Copernicus Prize for Dialogue and Peace.

Olhares do Mediterrâneo – Women's Film Festival • Lisbonne (Portugal) • Sélection officielle

Festival du Film de l'Est • Strasbourg (France)

Traces de Vies • Clermont-Ferrand (France)

Cinéma(s) d'Iran • Paris (France) • Sélection Iranian Film Festival Zurich • Zurich (Suisse) • Sélection

ASFF - Aesthetica Short Film Festival • York (Royaume-Uni) • Sélection officielle

Festival du Film de l'Est • Strasbourg (France) • Prix du long métrage documentaire & Prix du public

Traces de Vies • Clermont-Ferrand (France) • Mention spéciale Hors frontières

Hélène Rastegar