January 17–February 7, 2025 | Museum of Fine Arts (465 Huntington Ave., Boston, MA 02115)

The Boston Festival of Films from Iran returns, showcasing new and restored gems from a country that has consistently produced some of the world’s most compelling cinema in spite of stringent artistic censorship. This year’s lineup includes Universal Language, a whimsical New Wave-inspired comedy set in a Farsi-speaking Winnipeg. 6 in the Morning delivers a suspenseful thriller about a farewell party turned nightmare, while Bahram Beyzaie’s freshly restored 1974 film Stranger and the Fog offers a mythic story of mystery on Iran’s northern coast. Mohammad Rasoulof’s daring The Seed of the Sacred Fig, lauded at Cannes, explores how mistrust bred by government surveillance can seep into family dynamics, and My Favorite Cake delivers a charming look at romance in later life. The rarely seen 1977 treasure Dead End by Parviz Sayyad offers a quiet love story humming with social critique. This year’s ILEX award goes to Farahnaz Sharifi’s My Stolen Planet, a searing but tender documentary about Iranian women. Special thanks to programmer Homa Sarabi for lending her expertise to this year’s selections.