I left my country with a suitcase in the summer of 2019 and since then it’s been all the property that I own. I brought a small persian carpet and when I unfold it, it feels like home but far from the one I knew. During my time in the US, I’ve learned that most Iranian people’s struggles aren’t covered by the American mainstream media. Not only are Iranians’ voices silenced by their own government, their voices and stories are not reaching other countries. Additionally, international sanctions on Iran have directly impacted people causing the rich to get even richer and the poor to get even poorer resulting in the migration of students to other countries to continue their education. Many end up having to make a new home far from their family, unable to reunite. This short film recognizes my fears and allows me to build emotional responses to the current world that are amplified by the pandemic. I give shape to my sense of longing, loneliness and homesickness through immersive spaces that are based upon my dreams, nightmares and fleeing memories.

• 2021 MFA Spring Thesis