FEAR, FAITH, AND A FORBIDDEN LOVE

Arabic calligraphy

How ‘Cast Aside the Clouds’ Turns a Forbidden Love Story Into a Meditation on Faith and Unity

Director Mary Darling uses a Baha’i heroine’s persecution in Iran to explore moral courage, forgiveness and the hope of a more connected world.

By Etan Vlessing

Amidst a turbulent backdrop, Layla Khosravi, a courageous young woman, and Dr. Sasan Naderi, a renowned surgeon, find love that defies societal norms, transcends adversity and prejudice, and becomes a symbol of hope.

A man and woman standing face to face smiling at each other, indoors with a blurred background.

This love story follows the journey of Layla and Sasan as they navigate the complexities of love and faith in Iran–a country divided by religious prejudice.

Two women walking through a dimly lit corridor, one wearing a black hijab and the other in gray with sunglasses, inside a building with a barred door on the right.

A groundbreaking love story—this is the first feature film to feature a Bahá'í, a persecuted minority in Iran, falling in love with a Muslim from a conservative background.

Two men engaged in conversation in a room with green walls. One man, younger with dark hair and beard, wearing a leather jacket, sits on a red sofa gesturing with his hands. The other, older, bald, and wearing glasses and a white shirt, sits on a matching sofa holding a book. Behind them is a window with a yellow chair in front of it, a desk with a green desk lamp, and framed pictures on the wall.

Coming Soon

To cast aside the clouds is not only to resist oppression—it is to witness.

To see. To feel. To change.