In this poignant documentary, filmmaker Dawood Hilmandi explores the heavy meaning of his family nickname, Paikar, a Persian term for “warrior”. While his parents wear the name with pride, for Hilmandi it symbolizes the internal and external conflicts of a life shaped by displacement. With siblings scattered across the globe due to war, the film follows his journey from the streets of Amsterdam back to the East, driven by a desire to bridge the gap with his aging, authoritarian father.
Having previously fled the constraints of his homeland and his father’s religious rigidity, Hilmandi’s return to Iran and the subsequent journey to Afghanistan becomes a path of reconciliation. Set against the backdrop of the global pandemic, the film captures quiet moments of bonding, watching TV, visiting mosques, and sharing memories. It is a story of resilience that finds new definitions of “home” and “freedom” within the complex bonds of fatherhood and survival.
Paikar is an essential addition to our archive because it tackles the core themes of our project: the search for identity, the reality of the diaspora, and the power of intergenerational dialogue. It moves beyond the headlines to show the human face of migration, the struggle to belong and the courage to mend broken connections. The prestigious IDFA award further confirms its status as a masterpiece of contemporary intercultural storytelling.
