Surreal, dazzling visuals form an Iranian expat’s tribute to defiance back home

In 2022, mass protests broke out in Iran following the death of Jina (Mahsa) Amini in police custody after she was apprehended for allegedly violating the country’s strict hijab laws. Set against this backdrop of outrage and defiance, the Iranian filmmaker Atefeh Khademolreza’s powerful short film Meteor pays tribute to her best friend and unrequited love: a gay man named Amin whose death, officially attributed to COVID-19, she views as suspicious. Khademolreza, who is now based in Canada, channelled her grief and anger into a dazzling rotoscope animation. The technique allowed her to rework footage of mass protests, police crackdowns, and acts of defiance – including women cutting their hair and burning their hijabs – into images that melt and distort, slipping between memory, dream and nightmare. By weaving her message to Amin into these scenes, Khademolreza skilfully connects her personal loss with the broader fight for freedom in Iran – especially among women and the LGBTQ+ community.