Shahin Gorgani is an Iranian independent writer, filmmaker, musician and actor based in Los Angeles. In the United States, he had concerts with many accomplished Iranian musicians, such as Grammy-nominated Keyhan Kalhor and Shams Ensemble, in venues like Lincoln Center New York and the Library of Congress. He was an actor in three plays by Bahram Beyzaie, Iran’s most prominent playwright and director. Shahin received his Bachelor of Science in Clinical Nutrition from the University of California, Davis and worked in a couple of start-ups in Silicon Valley. With those achievements in life, his true passion has always been to become a filmmaker and tell a story. His experiences include teaching at the California Institute of the Arts (CalArts), and experience as a juror at Guadalajara International Film Festival. Shahin holds an M.F.A. in Film Directing from CalArts and is currently teaching at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts. He is a co-founder at Studio Dastan.

Rehearsals — In an attempt to overcome the fear of losing his 80-year-old mother, Antonio, a middle-aged theater actor, persuades his mom to rehearse scenarios in which she is ill.