Year
2025
Language
Farsi, English, Dutch spoken, English subtitles
Director
Dawood Hilmandi
Duration
97 min
Afghan artist-filmmaker Dawood Hilmandi is called paikar—the Persian word for “war” or “warrior”—by his family. His parents use this nickname proudly, but in this family portrait, it seems more of a burden than a blessing. In Paikar, Hilmandi shows his return home, where he hopes to mend his relationship with his aging, authoritarian father.
Hilmandi and his seven brothers and sisters live scattered across the world. They are warriors, driven apart by war. Hilmandi himself has found his home in Amsterdam, where he wanders the busy streets and reflects on “home”. But what is home? He first fled Afghanistan, then Iran, and later his devoutly religious father.
After suffering a great loss, Hilmandi returns to Iran to spend time with his father. They watch television, go to the mosque, and reminisce. Together they travel to Afghanistan, where, under the threat of Covid-19, they grow closer. They find resilience in survival and experience new forms of freedom in times of great uncertainty.
Agenda
There are no new dates planned (yet) for Paikar.
IDFA in Groningen
It's not what you look at, it's what you see
Wednesday 19th to Sunday November 23rd.
International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam in Groningen is the perfect opportunity to see next year documentary hits on the big screen.
