Papa Sierra
The story revolves around three women affected by the crash of the Iranian PS752 plane. An Iranian woman who lost her husband in the flight and is pregnant; a Ukrainian woman who has taken her orphaned nephew, whose parents died in the incident, as her own child; and a Canadian woman who lost her Iranian wife and is haunted by the illusion that she still exists. All of them are suffering from severe psychological trauma.
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Arash Sajadi HosseiniDirectorBeach Dream, Avan, Third Wave
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Ali GolbaharanWriterShahin, White Fish Season, Rabidity
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Arash Sajadi HosseiniWriter
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Ali GolbaharanProducerShahin, White Fish Season, Rabidity
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Rebbeca LamarcheKey Cast"Evana"Trapped in the Spotlight, Christmas in Maple Hills
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Krystina BojonowskiKey Cast"Emily"Anne with an E, Reign
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Shervin EsfandryKey Cast"Raha"
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Project Type:Experimental, Feature
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Runtime:1 hour 34 minutes 10 seconds
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Completion Date:April 8, 2025
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Production Budget:300,000 CAD
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Country of Origin:Canada
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Country of Filming:Canada
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Language:English, Persian
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Aspect Ratio:16:9
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Film Color:Color
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First-time Filmmaker:No
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Student Project:No
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Digital Cinema Package:Unavailable
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Salerno
Italy
December 28, 2025
Europe
Best feature film -
New York independent art film festivalNewyork
United States
Best editing
Arash Sajadi is an Iranian fimmaker who was forced to migrate to Europe post revolution. With many feature films and experience in Iranian cinema. An intelligent director who was able to direct the film "Papa Sierra" remotely with precision and great attention to detail.
Papasierra was born out of exile and grief, as a response to the silenced tragedy of Flight PS752. The film does not follow a linear path because mourning itself is fragmented, dreamlike, and resistant to time. Through the voices of three women from Iran, Canada, and Ukraine, I sought to reflect both the intimacy of personal loss and the universality of the demand for truth and justice.
Directing from exile was painful yet liberating. Distance became part of the film’s essence, shaping its surreal and fractured form. More than answers, this film carries questions: how can art hold trauma, how can silence speak, and how can cinema act as resistance? My hope is that audiences everywhere will feel the human heartbeat at its core.
Arash Sajadi
Director, Papasierra