2020 Hot Docs CrossCurrents International Doc Fund Recipient
2020 Hot Docs Forum Selection
2025 Hot Docs Festival, Official Selection
Nominated for the 2026 Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature
The award-winning hit of the festival circuit returns to Hot Docs just in time for awards season. When Sara Shahverdi becomes the first woman elected to office in her remote Iranian village, the pressure of the role becomes a weighted reality. Facing backlash in her new position, she still works to inspire young women in and around the village to fight against patriarchal viewpoints. Offering up the possibilities that come with motorcycle lessons and challenging the practice of child marriage, Shahverdi stands her ground to elevate the community around her. While the men in her village contest the work she’s putting forward, she shows strength and resilience. Winner of the World Cinema Grand Jury Prize: Documentary at the Sundance Film Festival, Cutting Through Rocks amplifies the defiance of someone who takes on insurmountable odds in the hope of providing a better future for the next generation. Gabor Pertic, Hot Docs
In Azerbaijani, Turkish, Persian and English, with English subtitles.
