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@coolstorybita

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@pillarboxed • @firewall.film • @texasbita
“you were born with wings, why prefer to crawl through life” //rumi 🕊️

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Firewall (2025)

Two years ago, I began writing Firewall. I set out to reimagine the legend of Zahhak the Serpent King in a modern-day Texas setting. Blending my Iranian and Texan identities in my work has always been important to me, and bringing our epic stories to the screen felt urgent, because I believe there is a massive lack of representation for us on the big screen. Many of you followed me on my independent filmmaking journey.

Unfortunately, I could never have imagined how painfully relevant this story would become today.

Firewall draws from the realities Iranians have endured for decades under the Islamic Republic. It is a story many of us know all too well. Separation from loved ones, anxiety and pain, perpetual waiting, hopelessness while we watch severe human rights violations happen from afar, and most recently, total internet blackouts during which peaceful protesters were massacred in silence.

Ani’s story is my story. It is the story of so many in the diaspora. It is about growing up between two worlds, carrying both love and grief for a homeland you cannot safely return to.

Thank you for being part of this journey.

Upcoming Screenings:

Philadelphia — Vox Populi
🗓 2/27 at 7 PM with @hamdeli.project

NYC — Scandinavia House
🗓 2/28 at 12:30 PM
New York International Children’s Film Festival (tickets in bio)

Yale University
🗓 3/3 at 8 PM by @coolstorybita

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5 months ago

FIREWALL OFFICIAL TRAILER 💛

FIREWALL follows Ani, an Iranian-American girl in Texas longing for her father, lost and unreachable due to an internet firewall in politically turbulent Iran. When her father mysteriously returns, ancient Persian mythology intertwines with her reality, forcing her to confront the demons that have kept her from finding peace.

UPCOMING SCREENINGS:

New Orleans Film Festival: WORLD PREMIERE
Saturday, October 25th at 12:15 pm
The Broad Theater

Khale’s House - Los Angeles
“Sneak Peek” of Firewall
Saturday, October 25th at 7 pm
Midnight Books, LA

Persian Autumn Festival “Mehregan” in San Antonio:
“Sneak Peek” of Firewall
Saturday, November 8th at 2 pm
San Antonio Public Library

St. Louis Film Festival: OFFICIAL SELECTION
Sunday, November 9th at 5:30 pm
Greenfinch Theater

💛💛💛💛 by @coolstorybita

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9 months ago

Friends and collaborators at AAAFF! Thank you @aaafilmfest for an unforgettable Austin premiere! ♥️ taken in AFS Cinema by @coolstorybita

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25 days ago

Recent friends on B&W ♠️♣️♟️🖤 by @coolstorybita

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a month ago

In solidarity with all who are denied the freedom to dance 🖤

Thank you to @fauxbana for trusting me and giving me creative freedom to direct this year’s festival bumpers for @aaafilmfest

And a big shout out to @ani.data and her beautiful installation “Sun Poem” which you can see on the Austin trail at the Seaholm Intake Facility for a whole year!

Her installation and this space was a literal dream to shoot in.

This poem called “Bani Adam” or “Sons of Adam” or “Human Beings” is one of the most famous Persian poems, it was written by Saadi in the 13th century.

Obama quoted it when he wished Persians a Happy Nowruz in 2009 and in 2005 it was inscribed on a hand-made carpet in the United Nations in NYC, where it still stands to this day.

This poem resonated with me, especially in this current age where it has seemingly become easy to forget that if one of us is in pain, all of us are.

I am dedicating this piece to the brave people of Iran who for thousands of years have danced, but are currently denied the right to under this regime.

Poem by: Saadi “Bani Adam”

Director/Editor: @coolstorybita
Director of Photography: @theoneandonlytiger
Dancer/Voiceover: @hatxus
Art Director: @ani.data
Producers: @coolstorybita @brody_carmichael @travisleeratcliff
Co-producers: @youch.ie @neddabitch
Assistant Camera: @stopmekiahfox
Graphic Artist: @hijx_de_laluna_
Musician: @hamidrfa
Sound Design and Mix: @eyelidkid
Production Company: @pillarboxed x @movementhouse.tv

Special Thanks: Caitlin Young @thetrailconservancy @culv3r Keefe Boerner @fauxbana @jaeeeduhhh Angel N @mpsfilm by @coolstorybita

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2 years ago

My favorite street photo I’ve ever taken.

It was Summer of 2017 in Berlin in front of Berghain - the most infamous, secretive techno club in the world.

It was 5 am on a Monday morning and I made my way over there to document people coming out of the club (sometimes that was all weekend!)

This was my first roll of film I shot on a manual camera and that’s when I fell in love with it.

There’s something so powerful about the limited frames, the discipline in making sure your settings are right and waiting patiently for the perfect moment.

I’m so so happy to see my photos live in my friend’s homes. If you’d like to buy this photo or any of my other street photos, they’re always for sale at my studio at Canopy in East Austin! Dm me 🖤 taken in Brooklyn, New York by @coolstorybita

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3 years ago

TEXAS BITA STANDS WITH THE BRAVE PEOPLE OF IRAN!!! 🤠❤️ by @coolstorybita

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5 months ago

FINALLLL touches on the 5.1 theatrical mix for Firewall with @joseph.kennemer 🔥

The past 2 years have been a whirlwind, and soon the world will finally see Persian Mythology on the big screen for the first time! 🥹❤️🔥🐍🧿 taken in Austin, Texas by @coolstorybita

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10 months ago

FIREWALL POSTER REVEAL, we are excited for more screenings in 2026. Stay tuned! 💛💛💛

✍🏽: thank you @ishqfhm for the poster & @hijx_de_laluna_ for the illustrations! by @coolstorybita

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7 months ago

A dream come true to experience our World Premiere with our cast/crew & snaily🐌 in attendance! Thank you again @neworleansfilmsociety ❤️ taken in New Orleans, Louisiana by @coolstorybita

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9 months ago

Paused my professional life this year to take a leap of faith & focus on the one personal project I’ve wanted to make for so long.

Now, as Firewall comes together in the edit room, I wanted to share more about my journey that got me here, one that’s been the most challenging yet deeply rewarding one of my life.

I knew that if I made another film, I wanted to say something meaningful and not hold back. I also understood the repercussions I would face, potentially making it too unsafe for me and the Iranian crew members to return to Iran after making it.

But the story had to be told and had to be told right.

No shortcuts, no compromise. I poured over every detail and every line of that 15 page script, and I put together the best team I could—people I’ve trusted for years, people I had never met in person who worked with me for months who just wanted to be a part of it, & people whose passion for this story matched and even surpassed mine. 🥹

The past few months I spent countless hours at my computer, diving into my own life experiences and searching for a story that would resonate with Iranians in Iran, abroad, and one that could resonate with people all over the world.

At its heart, Firewall is the story of a little girl who just misses her father. But the message is clear: there is no place for governments that suppress fundamental human rights.

Firewall is for those who’ve been oppressed and who keep fighting for justice.

Here’s to everyone who still believes and continues to fight for change ❤️ taken in Buda, Texas by @coolstorybita

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2 years ago

We made a movie, and I can’t wait to share it with the world!! 💙

Firewall is my biggest project yet, a true labor of love with collaborators who believed in the story just as much as I did.

It’s the first live-action, CGI adaption of a story from the Shahnameh - “The Book of Kings” (Iran’s National Epic and book of Persian myths). It brings to life the story of Zahhak the Serpent King, a feared tyrant in ancient Persia whose legend is unfortunately all too relevant today.

I’m so proud to bring this story to the big screen for the first time, and I’m deeply grateful to everyone along the way who believed in me and its potential. (Shout out to my 350+ crowdfunding contributors!!)

Our stories deserve representation and I’ll keep pushing for more to be told, because we have endless ones waiting!

Excited to share more about the journey of making Firewall in the next few weeks as we begin our film festival run!! 🧿🔥🐍 by @coolstorybita

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a year ago