As Australia observes Refugee Week, there is growing concern that the fallout from the escalating Israel-Iran conflict could trigger a refugee crisis.
The themes of displacement, survival, and identity from such human rights situations form the foundation of a new film in development from Iranian-born filmmaker Ali Vaziri.
Told in both Farsi and English, Fireworks follows two close friends — both former political refugees — whose quiet life in a remote Australian town 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.
The cast includes Keivaan Askari, Rina Mousavi, Maddie Jamali, and Baha Jamali.
Nick Bleszynski co-wrote the script with Vaziri, who is set to direct. Filming is scheduled for later this year in regional New South Wales.
Yolandi Franken is on board as producer, with the film seeking final-stage investment and partnerships with organisations and individuals “aligned with impact storytelling, cultural inclusion, and truth-telling through cinema”.
“Refugee Week reminds us to pause and really listen,” says Franken.
“With Fireworks, we’re not retelling someone else’s story. We’re handing the mic to those who’ve lived it.”
Vaziri said it was a “story that lives in the silence between headlines”.
“It’s about what remains — the memory, the questions, the strength — after fleeing something unimaginable,” he said.