A Kurdish woman. A Persian woman. A love relationship that cannot be told in a shared language. Shirin and Nikan is a documentary film about love, intimacy, and the power of language. Shirin, politically active and shaped by oppression, abuse, and colonial violence, finds herself in a relationship that brings her both closeness and pain. Nikan, calm and apolitical, was born in Tehran and speaks Persian — a language that, for Shirin, has become the language of oppression.
The film shows how even the most personal things — a kiss, a word, a glance — are permeated by history and power relations. Between their bodies stands an invisible wall made of language. For Shirin, Persian is the language of control, police, and humiliation. And yet it is the language of the woman she loves.
Through quiet, intimate scenes, the film tells of closeness and distance, of a love that is not free from power — and of a way of speaking that not only connects but also retraumatizes and pulls them apart.
FILMINFORMATION
Title: Shirin and Nikan
Written, Directed, Shot and Edited by: Hesam Yousefi
Featuring: Shirin Qurayshi and Niakn Bagheri
Sound Design: Sara Tavakoli
Genre: Documentary
Original Language: Kurdish and Persian, with English and German subtitles
Running Time: 18 min
Completion Date: January 2026
Shooting Format: Digital
Resolution: 4K
Aspect Ratio: 17:9
Colour: Colour
Sound: Stereo and 5.1
