Photo Credit: Julia Firak
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.”
Photo Credit: Julia Firak
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.
Photo Credit: Julia Firak
“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.
To request an investor pack or partnership proposal:
Yolandi Franken
Producer – Fireworks
yolandi@frankendipity.com
0404 385 988