Yalda, A Night for Forgiveness

MoMI is pleased to partner with Film Movement to bring Yalda, A Night for Forgiveness directly to Museum members and patrons to view from home. To support the Museum, please use the link below to watch the film.

View Yalda, A Night for Forgiveness from home using this link (Tickets: $10/$8 MoMI members). A portion of ticket sales benefits the Museum and its staff.

Dir. Massoud Bakhshi. Iran/France/Germany/Switzerland/Luxembourg, 2019, 89 mins. Set in Tehran, Yalda, A Night for Forgiveness is a satirical melodrama about the social pressures that dictate the circumstances of Iranian women written and directed by Massoud Bakhshi (A Respectable Family) with elegant, rich cinematography from Julian Atanassov. Condemned to death for murdering her husband, Maryam (Sadaf Asgari) seeks forgiveness from Mona (Behnaz Jafari), the daughter of the dead man—a conflict that plays out on a live television show called Joy of Forgiveness, alluding to a real Iranian TV program. Granting forgiveness will save Maryam’s life, and the show’s sponsors will reward Mona with a monetary payment; if Maryam’s plea is denied, she will be executed. Millions of viewers are tuning in on the night of Yalda, the Persian celebration of the winter solstice, to learn Maryam’s fate. Winner of the Grand Jury Prize in the World Cinema Dramatic Competition at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival. A Film Movement Release. View trailer.

“Massoud Bahkshi’s tensely potent Yalda, A Night for Forgiveness has the dramatic momentum to keep you enthralled.” –Andrew Bundy, The Playlist