Iranian documentary on traditional needlework to be screened at UK’s Lift-Off Sessions
‘Pateh, Intangible Heritage,’ a documentary directed by Azam Ramezanzadeh and produced in central Iran’s Yazd Province, will be screened at the 2025 Lift-Off Filmmaker Sessions in the United Kingdom.
The documentary, supported by IRIB Media Trade, was selected for the seventh edition of the global event, which runs from July 28 to August 11. The festival showcases selected works from around the world in both online and in-person screenings, IRNA reported.
The 50-minute film explores the cultural roots and historical value of Pateh-bafi—a centuries-old Iranian needlework craft practiced mainly by women in the south and southeast. Through interviews with artisans and textile scholars, the film highlights intricate stitching techniques and the role of the craft in local identity and collective memory.
Ramezanzadeh’s team traveled across Kerman and Yazd provinces to document “the delicate and complex” process of Pateh embroidery. The film also sheds light on the economic pressures threatening traditional crafts in Iran and the urgent need for intergenerational transmission. One artisan interviewed in the film called the embroidery “a silent language of women’s resistance and creativity.”
Iran’s selection at Lift-Off marks a rare international spotlight for its textile heritage. The festival’s global platform “opens the door” for wider recognition of intangible cultural practices, IRIB said in a statement.