PLEASE RISE

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A political drama

2023_SHORT FICTION

World Premiere at Camerimage

Zar Amir Ebrahimi
as the Poet
Winner — Best Actress Award at the Cannes Film Festival 2022 for film „Holy Spider“

The story is set in a fictional Middle-Eastern city, similar to Iran, where revolution has provided the people with their first taste of democracy and choice. But the new freedom raises pressure to make the right decisions, with lasting consequences.

Through the film, I hope to explore the various personalities and backgrounds that help construct a national identity and the ways in which this concept manifests for those involved. Within the film, the characters symbolize the people that allow a governing body to get away with things, by playing devil’s advocate, by justifying this elimination using espionage and the threat of international enemies, and by letting their fear and their hatred control them.

Edon Rizvanolli
as the Politician

Antoanella Ungureanu
as the Historian

Valeriu Andriuta
as the General

Ivan Goergiev
as the Singer

Kiana Klysch
as the Composer

I was born a little over a decade after the Iranian Revolution; a revolution that my parents and many from their generation fought for and believed in. These days, with upsetting news of Iran becoming a daily occurrence, I find myself often asking them “why?” and the answer is always “this isn’t what we fought for and it wasn’t like this from the beginning”.

In 1979, the people fought for change, freedom, and a fresh start. As time went by, bit by bit, they got less and less of what they asked for. For me, that’s where Please Rise came from; from the question of “where does the downfall of a revolution start?”. For the members of this committee, the downfall begins on the day of the film, day 57 after the victory of the revolution, the day in which they give in to the demands of their “democratically elected government” and forfeit their right to a choice out of fear.

Since finishing the shoot, the situation in Iran has gotten considerably worse. And yet, the Iranian people, especially the brave Iranian women, continue fighting for their basic human rights and I find myself with something I very rarely had before: hope. There is finally a tiny ray of hope for a brighter future in Iran. When I was writing Please Rise, I could not even imagine a future in which the Iranian people would get the chance to democratically decide on a new national anthem; the film is set in a fictional country. However, what was initially an out-of-reach fantasy for me, is now turning into a hopeful possibility for the people of Iran. I do hope that when (not if!) we succeed, we’re able to move forward with wisdom and will continue to protect the freedom we fight for, even after the revolution.

For me, as an Iranian, Please Rise is a personal story and I have tried to put a bit of myself, my family, my people, and the people I have encountered in my years of living abroad into the story. There are bits of all of us in these characters. This is a story inspired by Iran but it’s also not just about that. It’s not tied to one government, or to one group of people, it’s tied to power, control, and corruption; something that is evident all across the world. I did not aim to make this film so others can feel glad that they don’t live in Iran, I set out to make Please Rise out of respect for democracy and the need to preserve it everywhere.

director Sheida Sheikhha

“Please Rise” has its world premiere at Camerimage

Directed by Iranian filmmaker Sheida Sheikhha, Please Rise is a political drama inspired by her Iranian roots. The story revolves around a committee tasked with choosing a new national anthem after a fictional Middle-Eastern dictatorship is toppled after a revolution. Set within the close confines of a meeting room, the film depicts the seven committee […]

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