Paikar

The Dutch-Afghan filmmaker Dawood seeks contact with his authoritarian father - 'Baba' -, an imam with a violent past, to process their fraught history. To bridge the distance that has formed between him and his father, Dawood embarks on a fragile journey from his home in Amsterdam, where they explore Baba's past through Afghanistan, Iran, and Iraq. Places marked by faith and violence, exile and return. As they walk through the ruins of memory, the film reveals layers of intergenerational trauma, resilience, and unspoken love. 

Paikar, awarded three prizes at IDFA, is a personal quest for liberation and a universal story about overcoming alienation. A film that shows how, even in the midst of adversity, space can emerge for freedom, creativity, and new connections.