Rainy Dreams

Original Title: Rainy Dreams

Runtime: 80'

Expected Release: March 2028

Production Stage: Development

1st Feature: No

Looking for: Sales agents, distributors, buyers, co-producers, gap financing

Synopsis:

In Calais, five exiled children confront their fears and pursue their hopes through their nocturnal journeys. Rainy Dreams explores exile through intimacy : a territory where fears, desires, and memories are transformed and reveal what childhood goes through when borders never sleep.

Director/Co-producer’s Profile:

Alireza Ghasemi is an Iranian filmmaker based in Paris. He studied Cinema at the Art University of Tehran and later continued his training at the Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg in Germany. Ghasemi’s short films have received international recognition at major festivals. His Lunch Time (2017) premiered in competition at the Cannes Film Festival and went on to win several awards. His later short films, were selected at prestigious festivals including BFI London Film Festival, Palm Springs ShortFest, Short Shorts Film Festival & Asia, Aspen Shortsfest, Vancouver International Film Festival, and Torino Film Festival. In 2024, his debut feature film In the Land of Brothers (co-directed with Raha Amirfazli) premiered at the Sundance Film Festival, where it won the Best Directing Award in the World Cinema Dramatic Competition. The film has since received international acclaim and multiple prizes. Ghasemi is an alumnus of the Cannes Cinéfondation Residency (2018) and Berlinale Talents (2022).

Producer’s Profile:

Constance Le Scouarnec is the founder of Anna Films, an independent production company established in 2024. She made her first steps at Les Films Pelléas, where she contributed to digital projects for the 3e Scène de l’Opéra de Paris, before joining Jonas Films and Miyu Productions. Drawing on a strong network of talent and solid collaborations, she puts her experience at the service of an ambitious vision: supporting singular, innovative works and helping a new generation of filmmakers emerge from all horizons, with the conviction that the industry benefits from opening up to more diverse voices. Anna Films is currently developing several short and feature films, both documentary and animated. Constance accompanied filmmaker Anna Buda to the Palme d’Or for Short Films at Cannes 2023 with 27, and remains committed to encouraging greater representation of women in the film industry.

 

Co-Producer’s Profile:

Reza Baastani founded together wtih Alireza Ghasemi Two Dots in Tehran in 2023. The company grew out of a shared artistic dialogue during their years studying at the Tehran University of Art, evolving into a production company dedicated to supporting bold and formally distinctive filmmaking that moves fluidly between realism and imagination. Two Dots focuses on discovering unique voices, fostering cross-cultural dialogue, and supporting filmmakers in developing their projects with a particular emphasis on visual language and formal innovation. With international collaboration at the core of its vision, the company partners with co-producers and creative teams worldwide to bring to life films that reflect the concerns and aesthetics of contemporary world cinema.

Yasmin Van Deventer is an Iranian-American producer, director, writer, and actress based between Paris and Los Angeles. Founder of One Thousand & One Nights Productions LLC, she develops intimate, character-driven stories shaped by singular voices. She was an associate producer on Ambush by Yassmina Karajah, an executive producer on Day of Fire by Sara Boutorabi, and is currently executive producing Rainy Dreams by Alireza Ghasemi, presented at Cannes Docs 2026. With Pomegranate, adapted from her play Tehran Baby, she makes her directorial debut, continuing her exploration of displacement and the fragile search for love and belonging.