A Fox Under a Pink Moon

At just 16 years old, strong-willed Afghan sculptor and illustrator Soraya Akhlaghi has spent five years trying to find a way out of Iran and join her mother in Europe. Trapped in a marriage to a violent man, Soraya escapes the brutality and isolation of her daily life through art, channeling all her worries, joys, and fears into stunning drawings and sculptures. Many of her creations feature recurring figures: a clown who never laughs, a pink moon that always watches over her, and a fox who is her loyal travel companion. Crafted from years of Soraya’s own cell phone footage and video calls with co-director Mehrdad Oskouei, this textured self-portrait interweaves Soraya’s artwork with riveting scenes of her escape attempts, political news from Afghanistan, and videos where she sings, dances, or defiantly shows her bruises. A diary, a survival story, and an artistic manifesto, A FOX UNDER A PINK MOON is an unforgettable testament to the creative resilience of a 16-year-old girl who refuses to be reduced to her circumstances.