Naveed Mardi

Hitch, the most popular Rideshare app, has created safe rides for millions. At least, that's what they want you to think. It was only a matter of time before the story went public. The story of that one night. That one, horrific night.

FIREWALL follows Ani, an Iranian-American girl in Texas longing for her father, lost and unreachable due to an internet firewall in politically turbulent Iran. Ani finds comfort in playing the cello and a beloved pop-up book of the Shahnameh, Iran's longest epic poem. Her mother's frustration over Iranian protests heightens the tension at home, but Ani becomes immersed in a vivid retelling of the Persian legend of Zahhak, the Serpent King. One night, when her father mysteriously returns, ancient Persian mythology intertwines with her reality, forcing her to confront the physical and mental demons that have kept her from finding peace.