The Dawn is Too Far: Stories of Iranian-American Life

The Dawn is Too Far: Stories of Iranian-American Life (2024) is a documentary film directed by Persis Karim.

The Dawn is Too Far: Stories of Iranian-American Life poetically narrates the story of a community of Iranian Americans who have made the San Francisco Bay Area their home over the past five decades. The film explores Iranian immigration through turbulent histories of dissent, revolution, war, and separation, and the reinvention of identity in a new land and culture. The Dawn is Too Far highlights how Iranian students, activists, and artists have navigated displacement while drawing on and influencing Bay Area culture. This community offers a more nuanced story of the Iranian diaspora—the ways that this community enriches the region where they live, work, and build families. The Dawn is Too Far undermines the tired and overplayed news headlines that are dominated by narratives of enmity and mistrust between the government of Iran and the U.S., to offer a more humane understanding of the how people's lives and the sacrifices they make are part of the larger story of immigration.

Cast

Parviz Shokat

Parviz Shokat

Bella Warda

Bella Warda

Taraneh Hemami

Taraneh Hemami

Mokhtar Paki

Mokhtar Paki

Torange Yeghiazarian

Torange Yeghiazarian

Nazy Kaviani

Nazy Kaviani

Hanif Sadr

Hanif Sadr

Goli Mohebbi

Goli Mohebbi