International Competition

The Glass House

Hamid Rahmanian

‘The Glass House’ follows four girls striving to pull themselves out of the margins by attending a one-of-kind rehabilitation center in uptown Tehran. Forget about the Iran that you’ve seen before. With a virtually invisible camera, the girls of The Glass House take us on a never-before-seen tour of the underclass of Iran with their brave and defiant stories: Samira struggles to overcome forced drug addiction; Mitra harnesses abandonment into her creative writing; Sussan teeters on a dangerous ledge after years of sexual abuse; and Nazila burgeons out of her hatred with her blazing rap music. This groundbreaking documentary reflects a side of Iran few have access to or paid attention to: a society lost to its traditions with nothing meaningful to replace them.

Hamid Rahmanian

Hamid Rahmanian is a filmmaker and graphic designer. He was educated in Tehran, Iran where he gained his B.F.A. in Graphic Design and owned a graphic design studio for five years. He moved to the United States and earned a M.F.A. in Computer Animation in 1997 from Pratt Institute. After completing his studies, he was hired by Disney Feature Animation Company as a Look Development Artist where he worked on ‘Tarzan’, ‘The Emperor’s New Groove’ and ‘Dinosaur’. In 1998, Mr. Rahmanian left Disney and established his own production company, Prometheus Cinema.

General sponsor

The Glass House

USA, Iran
2008, 92', color, video

Directed by:
Hamid Rahmanian

Screenplay by:
Melissa Hibbard

Cinematography:
Hamid Rahmanian

Edited by:
Hamid Rahmanian

Music:
David Bergeaud

Producer:
Melissa Hibbard

Produced by:
Fictionville Studio

Festivals & Awards:

Dokufest - OSCE’s Human Rights Award; Dallas VideoFest - Best Feature Documentary