Sara Shahverdi, the central figure in the Iranian Oscar-nominated documentary Cutting Through Rocks, will be absent from the Academy Awards on March 15, as confirmed by the documentary’s creators.
The film’s co-directors, Sara Khaki and Mohammadreza Eyni, expressed in a social media update that despite their efforts, the challenges posed by the U.S. visa restrictions on Iranians coupled with the current turmoil in Iran have prevented Shahverdi from attending the event in Los Angeles.
“The obstacles created by the U.S. travel ban and the complex situation in Iran have unfortunately made it impossible for Sara Shahverdi to join us at the Oscars. After eight years of collaboration on this project, it is disappointing that we cannot celebrate together,” they shared.
Cutting Through Rocks showcases the life and challenges of Shahverdi, an Iranian midwife who overcame the constraints of her patriarchal community to become the first woman elected to the local council. The documentary debuted at the Sundance Film Festival in 2025, where it received the Grand Jury Prize in the World Cinema – Documentary category and has been featured in numerous festivals since.
The news of Shahverdi’s non-attendance at the Oscars coincides with Israel’s announcement of escalating its military operations in Iran, in partnership with the U.S., marking a new phase following their initial strikes which reportedly killed Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.
As the conflict enters its seventh day, Israel continues its aggressive strikes in Tehran and Beirut, targeting locations associated with the pro-Iranian Hezbollah, while the broader Gulf region remains tense with the anticipation of further missile and drone attacks from Iran.
Shahverdi resides in a village in the Zanjan province of northwestern Iran, a region that recently witnessed significant pro-democracy protests and has been subjected to strikes on targets associated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) by Israeli and U.S. forces.
Filmmakers Khaki and Eyni, both originally from Iran and now based in the U.S., dedicated eight years to document Shahverdi’s journey, captivated by her unique combination of roles as a council member, motorbike enthusiast, and skilled midwife responsible for delivering over 400 babies.
Cutting Through Rocks follows Shahverdi’s political journey as the sole female council member among 1,500 men representing 300 villages, where she champions women’s rights, advocates for girls’ education, and fights against child marriage.
The documentary achieved a milestone by being the first Iranian film nominated for Best Documentary at the 98th Academy Awards, competing against titles such as The Alabama Solution, Come See Me in the Good Light, Mr. Nobody Against Putin, and The Perfect Neighbor.
Additionally, Iran is represented at this year’s Oscars by filmmaker Jafar Panahi with his film It Was Just An Accident, a Cannes Palme d’Or winner nominated for Best International Feature Film as France’s entry.
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