A Good Day Will Come

Cast:
Sia Alipour ... Arash

(Fair Play - Sundance Dramatic Grand Jury Prize Nominee 2023)
Mehdi Bajestani ... Coach

(Holy Spider – Palme d’Or Nominee 2022)
Yashar Mirian ... Assistant Coach
Metin Ozturk ... Arash's teammate
Shoale Shahbazi ... Mom
Moeid Zalaghi ... Amin

Crew:
Writer, Director, Producer: Amir Zargara
Producer: Iman Tahsin

Executive Producers: Tina Gharavi, Scott Aharoni, Shiva Negar, Asa Kazerani, Rouzbeh Heydari, Sia Alipour, Nickie Shobeiry, Sholeh Alemi Fabbri, Fitch Jean, Weggon Allen
Director of Photography: Jelan Maxwell
Editor: Iman Tahsin
Composer: KB
Sound Editor + Sound Mixer: Amir Mohabbati

 

A GOOD DAY WILL COME was inspired by the tragic story of Navid Afkari, an Iranian wrestler unjustly executed in 2020 during a period of widespread unrest and human rights abuses in Iran. Born just months apart, Navid and I were shaped by the same country but ultimately led very different lives after I moved to Canada—where I found the freedom to express myself, in stark contrast to an environment where dissent can come at the cost of one’s life.

 

I recognize the privilege of living in a free society and feel a deep responsibility to use my voice for those who cannot. I see this project as my duty—akin to mandatory military service in Iran—a way of serving my country from afar. While the film began as a direct response to Navid’s story, it gradually evolved into a broader portrait of a society struggling for its soul.

 

The January massacres of this past year, following years of unrest sparked by Mahsa Amini and the Woman, Life, Freedom movement, have made the film’s questions more urgent than ever. In the shadow of war and deepening instability, these are not isolated events, but part of a long and unresolved fight for dignity and self-determination. The recent execution of another young wrestler, Saleh Mohammadi, just before Nowruz, is a devastating reminder that this cycle is ongoing.

 

Having lived half my life in Iran and half in Canada, I feel compelled to bridge these worlds and amplify voices too often silenced. Through this film, I aim to honor the resilience of the Iranian people—distinguishing them from the systems that oppress them—and to foster empathy, awareness, and hope that, one day, A GOOD DAY WILL COME.

Director’s Biography

Amir Zargara is an award-winning Iranian-Canadian writer and director, whose unique perspective is shaped by the cultural mosaic of Iran and Canada. His journey, characterized by the resilience of an immigrant and the challenges of living with a stutter, deeply influences his approach to filmmaking. An alumnus of prestigious programs at Berlinale, TIFF, Busan, Zurich, and Reykjavik, he explores the moral complexities individuals face in his films.

His short film A GOOD DAY WILL COME qualified for the Oscars and received over 70 awards and mentions across more than 100 film festivals worldwide. Amir's screenplays have garnered praise from top industry competitions, including the Academy’s Nicholl Fellowship, The Black List, Austin Film Festival, and Slamdance.

Filmography
Become the Wounded ... Short Film ... 2022
A Good Day Will Come ... Short Film ... 2024

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Festivals & Awards

-Oscar® Qualified 2025 **Best Live Action Short Film 

-Ranked top 1% on Coverfly **Top 10 Best Drama Short Screenplay on Coverfly’s Redlist

-Reykjavík International Film Festival 2024 **The Golden Egg Award

-Young Director Award (YDA) 2024 **Silver Screen Award
-Vancouver Short Film Festival 2024 **Best Canadian Short Film, Best Cinematography Award, Best Production Design Award, Nominated for Best Director presented by Directors Guild of Canada, Best Performance, Sound Design, Social Impact, Short Film

-Chelsea Film Festival 2024 **Best International Short Film

-Sundar Prize Film Festival 2024 **Best Short Film

-Woods Hole Film Festival 2024 **Best Short Screenplay
-Middlebury New Filmmakers Festival 2024 **Best Narrative Short Film

-Edmonton Short Film Festival 2024 **Best International Short Film

-Reelworld Film Festival 2024 **Outstanding Short Film, **Outstanding Short Film Producer

-Kaaffilm International Short Film Festival 2024 **WORLD GRAND PRIX - Human Rights Section presented by Amnesty Paraguay (Amnistía Internacional Paraguay)

-FARO Concurso de Cinema Mediterrâneo e Mundial 2025 **Best Picture Award, Best Director Award, Nominated for Best Screenplay, Best Cinematography, Best Actor, Best Sound, Best Editing

-Indie Shorts Mag’s Short Of The Year Awards 2024 **Best Short Film
-Canadian Film Fest 2025 **Best Short Film Producer Award

-The British Short Film Awards 2025 **Best Foreign Language Short Film Nominee
o Longlisted for Best Score, Best Sound Design

-Astarté Awards 2025 **Best Foreign Language Short Film Nominee

-Shark Short Film Awards 2025 **Shortlisted 

-1.4 Awards 2025 **Shortlisted

-Amnesty international Au Cinema pour les Droits humains 2025
-Flickers' Rhode Island International Film Festival 2024 **Roving Eye section
-SCAD Savannah Film Festival 2023
-Morehouse College Human Rights Film Festival 2024 **Best Narrative Short Film Nominee
-Zurich Film Festival 2024 **ZFF Academy Bits & Pieces
-Woods Hole Film Festival 2024 **Best Short Screenplay
-USA Film Festival 2024 **Finalist
-Nantucket Film Festival Tony Cox Short Screenplay Competition 2024 **Finalist
-San Francisco Indie Fest Screenplay Competition 2024 **Finalist
-Richmond International Film Festival (RIFF) Screenplay Competition 2024 **Finalist
-HollyShorts Screenwriting Competition 2023 **Semi-Finalist
-Los Angeles International Screenplay Awards 2023 **Semi-Finalist
-Omaha Film Festival Screenplay Competition 2024 **Semi-Finalist
-Santa Barbara International Screenplay Awards 2024 **Semi-Finalist
-Dallas International Film Festival's Screenwriting Competition 2024 **Semi-Finalist
-Creative World Awards 2024 **Semi-Finalist
-Stage 32 Short film Contest 2024 **Quarter-Finalist
-Nashville Film Festival Screenwriting Competition 2023 **Quarter-Finalist
-ScreenCraft Short Film Screenplay Competition 2023 **Quarter-Finalist
-Vail Film Festival Screenplay Competition 2023 **Quarter-Finalist
-ScreenCraft Film Fund 2023 **Quarter-Finalist
-New York International Screenplay Awards 2024 **Quarter-Finalist
-Big Apple film Festival Screenplay Competition 2023 **Honorable Mention
-9/10 in the Raindance Script Competition 2023
-Cinema on the Bayou Film Festival 2024
-Fargo Film Festival 2024
-Sarasota Film Festival 2024
-West Chester Film Festival 2024 **Best Short Film Nominee
-Maryland International Film Festival 2024
-Arizona International Film Festival 2024
-Blue Mountain Film Festival 2024
-Richmond International Film Festival (RIFF) 2024
-Crested Butte Film Festival 2024
-Cerdanya Film Festival 2024
-Breckenridge Film Festival 2024
-Footcandle Film Festival 2024 **Best Narrative Short Film Nominee
-Ottawa Canadian Film Festival 2024
-Torino Underground Cinefest 2024
-Durham Region International Film Festival 2024
-Bordeaux Shorts Biennale 2024 **Honorable Mention

-Cindependent Film Festival 2024 **Honorable Mention
-Make News, Make Noise: Screening Room 2024 (Los Angeles, USA)
-Cuenca International Film Festival (FICC) 2024

-Festival Internacional de cine Luz del Desierto 2024
-Mind the Indie 2024
-International Film Festival The Hague 2024
-Asian World Film Festival 2024
-Nostalgia Film Festival 2024 **Semi-Finalist
-Muslim International Film Festival 2024
-Human Rights Film Festival of Barcelona 2024
-Utah International Film Festival 2024
-Dumbo Film Festival 2025 **Semi-Finalist
-Beloit International Film Festival 2025
-Ibicine, Festival de Cine de Ibiza 2025
-Benalmádena International Film Festival 2025
-Upper West Side Film Festival 2025
-Justice Film Festival 2025
-Muestra Intergaláctica 2025
-Crossing The Screen 2025
-Short. Sweet. Film Fest 2025
-Beeston Film Festival 2025
-Piano B Film Festival 2025 **Honorable Mention
-Fastnet Film Festival 2025
-The South London Film Festival 2025 **Finalist
-The Pigeon International Film Festival (PIFF) 2025 **Finalist
-Asiate En Court 2025
-Imagineindia International Film Festival 2025
-Festival Internacional de Cine de Lebu 2025
-DEA Open Air International Film Festival 2025

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Thanks:
We acknowledge the support of the Canada Council for the Arts.
We would like to acknowledge funding support from the Ontario Arts Council, an agency of the Government of Ontario.

Zargara Productions

Haurvatat Films

Lenz Films