Majid MAJIDI / Iran / 2026 / 133min / Competition 

Solan dreams of moving into a new home where he can live with his mother. To qualify for a bank loan to purchase the house, he must first secure a permanent position as a teacher. However, when the benefactor who supported his school passes away, the school can no longer afford to provide meals, and the children begin to stop attending classes. After much deliberation, Solan and his mother leave their rented home and move into the school, using the money saved on rent to feed the students. But his burden continues to grow as children from a school that has closed in another area come seeking an education, and he also takes on the responsibility of caring for an ailing elderly man. His efforts to keep the classroom open end up threatening his own livelihood. Pushed to his limits, Solan eventually considers getting involved in fuel smuggling to raise money. Director Majid Majidi found inspiration for his latest film in the remote region of Iran where he shot his debut feature in 1992. More than three decades later, the residents remain trapped in poverty and government neglect, compelling the director to bring their lives to the screen. As in his previous films, Majidi cast nonprofessional actors to play Solan, his mother, and the students in his classroom. They bring the familiar realities of their own lives naturally to the screen. This time, the story expands through the relationships surrounding an impoverished teacher and his devoted mother. Yet as we follow Solan, who serves as the director’s point of view, our attention gradually shifts toward the children. The plight of children forced to give up their education to survive, and of a teacher whose own livelihood is jeopardized by his efforts to educate them, reveals not merely individual misfortune but the absence of a social system capable of protecting them. When even the basic necessities of food, clothing, and shelter are not guaranteed, the right to education becomes all too easily undermined. Through Solan, whose good intentions ultimately lead him toward illegal acts, the film asks whether his choices can be judged solely as personal wrongdoing.