Film is a powerful way to teach about global peoples and cultures. As part of our global education collection, we are pleased to offer two curriculum guides to help you teach about Iran with film.
Teach about Iran with Film: Children of Heaven
Children of Heaven is a valuable resource for introducing students to The Islamic Republic of Iran. This contemporary Iranian film, shot in and around Tehran, follows two siblings who must work together to find a creative solution to deal with a missing pair of shoes. It’s a heartwarming film about families, compassion, moral responsibilities and issues of limited resources. Our Children of Heaven curriculum guide features a social studies lesson about the geography and culture of Iran for grades 6-9. This lesson is also available on its own from Share My Lesson. The full curriculum guide also features a country profile of Iran.
Common Sense media rates Children of Heaven as appropriate for ages 10+. Learn more about teaching with Children of Heaven.
Teach about Iran with Film: The Music of Strangers: Yo-Yo Ma and the Silk Road Ensemble
The Music of Strangers: Yo-Yo Ma and the Silk Road Ensemble is a powerful global education tool. This stunning documentary follows musicians, artists and storytellers from around the world as they explore the ways art can both preserve traditions and shape cultural evolution. The film includes an exploration of the life and work of Iranian musician Kayhan Kalhor. After the Iranian Revolution, Kalhor moved to Europe and Canada, and eventually immigrated to the United States. His work reflects both the folk melodies of Kurdish Iran and classical Iranian music. Our curriculum guide for The Music of Strangers features a lesson on the pivotal historic event of the Iranian Revolution, and its lasting effects on Iranian culture, for grades 7-12.
The Music of Strangers is rated PG-13. Learn more about teaching with The Music of Strangers.
We hope that educators will find these resources helpful for putting Iranian culture, history and current events in context for your classroom discussions.
Teach about Iran with Short Films: Gaze and The Young Old Crow
Recently, our Executive Director curated short films for #CultureFix. Culture Fix is a global collaborative network of cultural producers, creatives, activists, and entrepreneurs who use arts and culture to create social change.
Gaze is a fourteen minute short narrative film. An Iranian woman, on her way home from work, witnesses something happening on the bus. She must decide what response to take. The film builds tension and offers opportunities to discuss difficult decisions and the reality of being an upstander versus and bystander. (The initial link for Gaze is from Short of the Week, in case that is inaccessible, we are also sharing a Youtube link for Gaze.)
The Old Young Crow is a 12 minute short film about an Iranian boy, Mehrdad, who befriends an elder Japanese woman in Tokyo. Later, Mehrdad reflects on that encounter through his old sketchbook in a combination of animation and live-action techniques. (Content note for educators. The film’s subject matter does include loss, suicide, death, and the afterlife, but no violence or death is shown.)
Spotlight on Iranian-American Filmmaker and Oscar-winner Rayka Zehtabchi
Shn(y)oof is an experimental short film co-directed by an Iranian-American woman filmmaker, Rayka Zehtabchi. Rayka Zehtabchi was the first Iranian woman to win an Oscar. She won the Oscar for Period. End of Sentence. Significantly, the key to Shn(y)oof n is behind the scenes. Thus, we recommend watching the film and then reading the details about the film. This film can inspire interesting learner discussions and activities around language and imagination. Learners could make up some of their own words or it may inspire bilingual and/or multilingual poetry writing. (The initial link for the film is from Short of the Week, which we prefer because it explains the filmmaker’s approach and goals for the film, but in case that is inaccessible, we are also sharing a Vimeo link for Shn(y)oof.)
Additionally, Rayka Zehtabchi was interviewed by Alyssa Shapiro for Youth to the People following her Oscar win. Check out the interview to learn more about this award-winning Iranian-American filmmaker.
Related Resources
Teach Anti-Bias Education with Film
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Updated to add additional resources March 2026.
