Cat&Docs Picks Up Iranian Documentary ‘A Fox Under a Pink Moon’ Ahead of IDFA World Premiere (Exclusive)

Cat&Docs has picked up international sales rights for Iranian filmmaker Mehrdad Oskouei’s documentary “A Fox Under a Pink Moon,” which will world premiere at IDFA in the International Competition.

The film is co-directed by its protagonist Soraya Akhlaghi, who we meet when she is 16 years old. Soraya is already creating stunning drawings and sculptures that are as beautiful as they are dark. This strong-willed Afghan sculptor and illustrator has been trying for five years to find a way out of Iran and join her mother in Austria.

This subtly textured self-portrait interweaves chilling scenes of her escape attempts with political news from Afghanistan and videos in which she sings and dances—or shows her bruises. Soraya is married to a violent man, and she is determined to shape her own future.

Oskouei directed this film entirely remotely, with Soraya filming all the footage herself over five years using her phone.