Logline

Amidst the shadows of oppression in Iran, The Forbidden University unveils a secret beacon of hope. Explore the clandestine world of the Bahá'í Institute for Higher Education, an informal underground university created by the Baha’is of Iran in a country where education is a crime for them. 

Synopsis

In Iran, the pursuit of higher education is an impossible dream for Bahá’ís, the country’s largest religious minority. Denied access to universities, they risk everything to study in secret. The Forbidden University is an immersive and visually striking documentary that reveals the underground world of the Bahá’í Institute for Higher Education (BIHE)—a hidden network of teachers and students defying government oppression in pursuit of knowledge.

Filmed through a blend of intimate interviews, reenactments, and painterly rotoscope animation, the film follows former BIHE students who now live in exile. Niknaz, who fought for BIHE accreditation at Berkeley but will never see her homeland again; Tulu, who was interrogated and sentenced to prison for teaching; Shakib, whose commitment to education led him to an Iranian prison; Neda, who studied biology in makeshift basement labs, despite the constant risk of raids; and Iqan, who endured months of solitary confinement simply for wanting an education.

Through their stories, the film uncovers the resilience of a community that transforms kitchens into classrooms, smuggles textbooks across borders, and risks imprisonment to learn. Despite repeated government raids, arrests, and threats, BIHE continues to operate—its students now scattered across the world, keeping their movement alive.

At once a political thriller and a meditation on the cost of knowledge, The Forbidden University is a powerful testament to the right to education, the courage of those who fight for it, and the extraordinary resilience of those who refuse to be silenced.