The Lost Season

Seasonal dust covers the village where Kosar lives. Lake Hamoon has dried up, and the Sistan region grows more arid with each passing year—it feels as though life is slowly disappearing. Kosar is a teenage girl attending high school in a small village in the Sistan and Baluchistan province, near the Afghan border. Like many girls her age in the region, she is expected to marry young, in keeping with tribal traditions. However, Kosar dreams of going to university. In the midst of droughts and the constant haze of fine dust in southeastern Iran, her dreams seem to drift further and further out of reach.

Director: Mehdi Ghanavati

Mehdi Ghanavati, born in 1981 in Hendijan, Iran, is a documentary filmmaker and editor acclaimed for his award-winning work. He began his career with Jajim (2005) and rose to national prominence with his feature Hamja (2017), which won six major awards and screened internationally. His varied filmography includes Majnoon-e-Hamishegi, Javaz, Mohsenkhan, and The Lost Season (2024). In addition to directing, he has edited numerous documentaries for Iran’s national broadcaster and Al Jazeera Documentary Channel.