Sundance: The Friend's House Is Here shows art and protest in Iran.

The Friend's House Is Here, an Iranian film finished just before Sundance and smuggled out for its premiere, follows an underground theater troupe whose everyday acts of creativity intersect with real-world arrests and protests.

The Friend's House Is Here premiered at the 2026 Sundance Film Festival after its production was completed just before the festival and the film was smuggled out of Iran across the Turkish border to be transmitted. The story centers on an underground theater troupe led by Hana and her friend Pari, who create performance pieces while living openly in ways that challenge the country's authorities. The film blends quotidian moments—dancing, meals, rehearsals—with the looming threat of arrest and censorship. Several members of the cast are reported to be active in ongoing protests, and their status is described as uncertain. Known details: - The film finished production a week before Sundance and was clandestinely sent out of the country to reach the festival. - It had its world premiere at the 2026 Sundance Film Festival. - The narrative follows Hana, Pari, and an underground theater group whose performances and private lives intersect with political risk. - In the story, Pari is arrested, and the article reports that some cast members are involved in current protests and face uncertain circumstances. Summary: The film functions as a measured act of protest by documenting daily life, creative labor, and the personal costs of artistic freedom. Its Sundance screening brings wider attention to those risks and to the filmmakers' choice to tell this story. Undetermined at this time.