Synopsis
The Roaring Aras is a poetic ethnographic documentary about the Aras River and the lives of the people who inhabit its historic borderlands. The Aras River carries the historical and cultural memory of one of the most significant rivers of the Caucasus. Following wars and the establishment of new boundaries, the river became a border between nations, yet it continues to preserve the memories, connections, and shared heritage of the people living on both sides. Through an environmental, cultural, and human-centered lense, the documentary explores the profound relationship between people and nature along the Aras River.
Awards
Grand Prize, Ancient Civilizations Section, 19th Cinéma Vérité International Documentary Film Festival, Tehran, Iran, 2025; Special Documentary Award, Water Section, 44th Fajr International Film Festival, Tehran, Iran, 2026.
Hadi Afarideh
Born in Tehran, Iran in 1984, Hadi Afarideh started his art career in theater in 1998 and in cinema in 2001 in Iranian Youth Cinema Society. He was chosen the best documentary filmmaker in the first specialized workshops of documentary filmmaking in Iran by the Documentary and Experimental Film Center and Iranian Documentary Filmmakers Association in 2006. Hadi Afarideh has participated in more than 140 Iranian and international festivals and won various awards. At present, he teaches cinema directing and holds documentary filmmaking classes in Iranian Youth Cinema Society and Iranian Contemporary Arts Academy, and organizes documentary filmmaking workshops. At present, he is a member of Iranian Documentary Filmmakers Association and Iranian Short Film Association (ISFA).
Select Filmography
Iranian Pets Club (2018), Water Lorry (2021), The Greetings Line (2022), Aqueduct: The Story of Water (2023), Hollein in Iran (2024), The Roaring Aras (2025), Afus (2025).
