by FilmInk Staff
As global interest in Iranian stories surges, Fireworks explores trauma, exile and the fragility of justice — made in Australia, but resonating worldwide.
Just days after Iranian filmmaker Jafar Panahi’s It Was Just an Accident won the Palme d’Or at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival, a new Australian-made feature is building momentum — inspired by the global recognition of Iranian cinema as not just political, but universal.
Fireworks, directed and co-written by Ali Vaziri, an Iranian-born filmmaker living in Australia, is a bold psychological drama rooted in real refugee experience. “Panahi’s win is a turning point,” says Vaziri. “It tells us something important: these stories are not just about Iran anymore — they’re about all of us. The same threats to truth, freedom and justice are creeping closer to home in the West. Fireworks is my way of sounding the alarm.”
Set in a remote Australian town, Fireworks follows two close friends — both former political refugees — whose quiet life unravels during a weekend celebration when the past reappears in the form of a suspected war criminal. Over one day, in one house, tension builds toward an unthinkable moral choice.
It’s a film about trauma, complicity, loyalty and vengeance — but it’s also a film about how fragile peace really is, even in countries like Australia. With authentic Farsi and English dialogue and a minimalist, intimate setting, Fireworks delivers a contained but emotionally explosive story.
The cast features a talented ensemble of Iranian-Australian actors, including Keivaan Askari, Rina Mousavi, Madi Dezhbod, and Baha Jamali — Keivaan and Rina were involved in the critically acclaimed Australian-Iranian feature Shayda, Australia’s critically acclaimed entry to Sundance and the Academy Awards.
The film is produced by Yolandi Franken (Streets of Colour, Carmen & Bolude), and co-written by Nick Bleszynski, known for his work in both narrative and investigative storytelling. Filming will take place in Wiseman’s Ferry, NSW — a regional town whose quiet natural beauty mirrors the story’s haunting emotional undercurrent.
“This isn’t just a story about Iran. It’s a warning,” says Franken. “The erosion of truth, the silencing of dissent, the moral collapse that begins with looking away — these are themes that now ring loud in Western democracies.”
With the Cannes spotlight now firmly on Iranian voices and stories of resistance, Fireworks arrives at exactly the right moment — as a uniquely Australian contribution to a global conversation.
The film is currently seeking final-stage investment and community partnerships ahead of production later this year, with plans for international festival submission and a theatrical release followed by digital and broadcast distribution.
