PILLARBOXED STUDIOS

New work for @suite650 “untitled for issue 05” Co-directors: @coolstorybita x @joeyhuntdp DP: @joeyhuntdp Production Company: @pillarboxed x @suite650 Editor: @culv3r AC: @calcris96 DMX Board Op: @derandl3 Gaffer: Blake Nelson Blake’s Assistant: @gonzogomaa Sound Design/Score: @eyelidkid Production Assistants: @fleischkleidung @visidora @mjenelle_ @jenetkiefer Talent: @wokeupcute Rope Rigger: @tomporarily @kodak_shootfilm #film #filmmaking #shootfilm #shotonfilm #kodak #kodakshootfilm #16mm #shibari #productioncompany #texasfilm

coming soon…. dedicated to all those who are denied the freedom to dance 🖤

Checking in 💜

Thank you Stanford for an incredible screening and conversation of Firewall! @stanfordpsa is an incredible Persian Student Association and we are so grateful to them for the invitation 💛

Thank you @indiewire & @nyicff for spotlighting Firewall and its ability to take complex political issues and translate it into something children are able to understand and engage with. It meant so much seeing the children interested and curious about the film and its topics, especially on that day. ❤️‍🩹💛

Firewall (2025) This scene has been hitting a lot harder recently 😔❤️‍🩹 #digitalblackoutiran #iran

Last night’s @firewall.film Q&A in Philly. Waking up this morning, I feel every emotion. I wish there were answers beyond the reality we’re living in. I wish one day for Iran to be free from the shackles of this monstrous regime and free from any outside intervention. I see a light at the end of this dark tunnel where Iran is strong and fair and equal and free. I choose to hold on to that hope. I cannot tell you how to get there because I’m not a political strategist, I’m an artist, and I hope one day the world will listen to its poets more than its politicians. All I can do now is continue sharing my art and creating space for us to sit with, question, and navigate these incredibly difficult times together. Thank you for moderating @amandaecreates Thank you for hosting @dr.yaghmai @hamdeli.project @voxpopuligallery

new work for @meta wearables 👓 director: @coolstorybita director of photography: @theoneandonlytiger editor: @travisleeratcliff production assistant: david granberry

2 weeks of Roya, thank you to everyone who has made our opening so magical! 💙💙💙 directed & edited by: @coolstorybita shot by: @theoneandonlytiger production company: @pillarboxed

Firewall (2025) Two years ago, I began writing Firewall. I set out to reimagine the legend of Zahhak the Serpent King in a modern-day Texas setting. Blending my Iranian and Texan identities in my work has always been important to me, and bringing our epic stories to the screen felt urgent, because I believe there is a massive lack of representation for us on the big screen. Many of you followed me on my independent filmmaking journey. Unfortunately, I could never have imagined how painfully relevant this story would become today. Firewall draws from the realities Iranians have endured for decades under the Islamic Republic. It is a story many of us know all too well. Separation from loved ones, anxiety and pain, perpetual waiting, hopelessness while we watch severe human rights violations happen from afar, and most recently, total internet blackouts during which peaceful protesters were massacred in silence. Ani’s story is my story. It is the story of so many in the diaspora. It is about growing up between two worlds, carrying both love and grief for a homeland you cannot safely return to. Thank you for being part of this journey. Upcoming Screenings: Philadelphia — Vox Populi 🗓 2/27 at 7 PM with @hamdeli.project NYC — Scandinavia House 🗓 2/28 at 12:30 PM New York International Children’s Film Festival (tickets in bio) Yale University 🗓 3/3 at 8 PM

Firewall festival laurel update & upcoming screening info: Upcoming screenings: Philadelphia at Vox Populi 7 pm - 2/27 with @hamdeli.project NYC at Scandinavia House 12:30 pm - 2/28 at New York International Children’s Film Festival (tickets in bio) Yale University 8 pm - 3/3