Exiled Iranian's Heartbreaking Struggle to Stay Connected with Aging Parents

In 2025, Maryam, an Iranian woman who fled her homeland decades ago, is deeply concerned about her aging parents still living in Tehran. With political unrest intensifying in Iran, Maryam persuades her parents to install security cameras in every room of their home, allowing her to stay in direct contact with them from her residence in the United States.

Maryam now finds herself constantly monitoring the virtual connection, only now realizing how lonely her parents must have been all these years. The documentary "Past Future Continuous," directed by Morteza Ahmadvand and Firouzeh Khosrovani, explores Maryam's emotional struggle, interweaving security camera footage with childhood home videos as she reflects on a lifetime spent apart from her family.

The film, which had its world premiere in Venice last month, is set to screen at the International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam (IDFA) starting this Saturday. Directors Ahmadvand and Khosrovani, who previously collaborated on the 2020 film "Radiograph of a Family," say the documentary is inspired by the personal experiences of friends and family who left Iran seeking new lives abroad.