TEHRAN – The Iranian feature film “My Daughter’s Hair” directed by Hesam Farahmand will take part in the 34th Raindance Film Festival, which will be held from June 17 to 26 in London.

Also known as “Raha,” the 110-minute drama won the Best Film award at the 23rd Alice nella Città film festival in Rome, Italy, last October, and the award for the Best Debut Feature Film Director at the 56th International Film Festival of India last November, Honaronline reported.

The film follows a struggling family in an unstable economy. Tohid, his wife, and children have an average life. Until a very simple event shatters the story of their lives.

Tohid buys a second-hand laptop with money earned from selling his daughter’s hair, bringing temporary joy. However, a conflict soon emerges with a wealthy family over the laptop’s true ownership. As tensions rise, Tohid confronts harsh realities that reshape his life and his family’s future, forcing him to fight for what truly matters.

A production of 2025, the film delves into the hidden struggles of everyday people. Inspired by real experiences, the director has sought to create authentic characters navigating a world where justice is uncertain, and choices shape destiny. The film combines poetic visuals with social realism, offering a story that resonates beyond borders.

The cast includes Shahab Hosseini, Ghazal Shakeri, Zoha Esmailifar, Arman Mirzaee, Hadi Eftekharzadeh, Mohammad Reza Samian, and Mahni Mehrparvar.

The 34th Raindance Film Festival has selected 85 narrative and documentary features, 112 short films and 27 immersive projects. Forty-eight of the features – 56% of the total – come from first-time directors, and a new best horror feature prize has been added to the jury competition for 2026.

The full feature slate spans material on topics including the Southport riots, fracking in West Texas, the Rohingya refugee crisis, bride slavery in India, artificial intelligence and the deforestation of Canada’s Boreal Forest.

Other international competition titles include the world premieres of Mexican coming-of-age mystery “Jardines Del Bosque” and debut Estonian feature “Fränk,” alongside UK premieres of Venice-awarded “Lost Land” and Indian narrative feature “Paro: The Untold Story of Bride Slavery”.

Documentary competition highlights include “Gaslit,” executive produced by Jane Fonda, which follows the activist across oil fields in West Texas and Louisiana; “Ghost in the Machine,” which premiered at Sundance and examines the origins of artificial intelligence; and “Copeland,” a world premiere portrait of Stewart Copeland, drummer of English rock band The Police.

Raindance is the UK's largest independent film festival and is officially recognized by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in the USA, BAFTA, and the British Independent Film Awards. Winners of categories such as Best Animation Short, Best Documentary Short, and Short of the Festival will qualify for the Oscar®, and selected shorts may also be considered for BAFTA awards.

Since 1992, Raindance has championed a new wave of creative and innovative filmmakers in the UK and around the world. The Raindance Film Festival takes place in Central London, offering international filmmakers a West End premiere and an authentic London experience.

The festival attracts over 16,000 visitors each year, including buyers, distributors, festival programmers, financiers, producers, press, and film enthusiasts.

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