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“What if I were you?” Fereshte Hosseini’s voice carries an urgency, as if she poses the question to herself as well as the world.
Born to Afghan immigrants in Iran, Hosseini has risen to prominence in the country’s film industry, challenging the societal expectations placed on women in Iran.
“I wanted to earn respect,” the actress says – her words testifying to a lifelong battle for recognition.
Hers was an arduous journey to rise above the poverty that shaped her upbringing and to confront the prejudice endured by Afghan migrants in her adopted country.

Hosseini, 27, is married to fellow actor and Iranian superstar Navid Mohammadzadeh. She credits her husband’s support and inspiration as key motivators in her perseverance in her career.
When Hosseini enters the cafe where we agreed to meet, in central Tehran, she is wearing a black jumpsuit, her face hidden by sunglasses that shield her from prying eyes.
You have to be careful. You can only choose scripts that respect Iranian rules.
Fereshte Hosseini on working on international film projects
She exudes calm and warmth when she describes her journey, as someone who has had to work hard for her success, in perfect English.
Her success, however, has brought a new set of challenges.
“You have to be careful,” she says of working on international film projects. Each of her roles, her characters, need to comply with Iran’s strict dress code for women, including the requirement to wear a headscarf.
“This is the big issue now,” she says. “You can only choose scripts that respect Iranian rules.” She has already had to pass on many parts because of these requirements, Hosseini says.

Women in Iran must constantly gauge how far they can push boundaries.
Two years after nationwide protests erupted over the death of Iranian-Kurdish woman Mahsa Amini in police custody – protests that quickly evolved into a broader demand for women’s rights – the challenges facing Iranians in the film industry have only intensified.
Some of Hosseini’s colleagues were banned from working, while filmmakers like Mohammad Rasoulof have fled into exile in Europe.
My family didn’t support me at first. They thought I [was] disgracing them.
Fereshte Hosseini
Hosseini considered leaving the country when receiving an award for her part in the film Raftan in Morocco, 10 years ago. She had planned not to return to Iran – but then she changed her mind.
“It’s my home.”
Iran and Afghanistan are bound by a complex history and shared linguistic and cultural roots. For decades, Afghans have come to Iran to escape conflict at home or because they are in search of a better life.


Today, the Afghan community is deeply entrenched in Iranian society.
Many migrants work in the low-wage sector in big cities, on construction sites, in supermarkets, as nannies and cleaners – jobs that many Iranians do not want to do.
Hosseini’s family fled Afghanistan some 30 years ago to settle in a Tehran suburb where she, one of seven children, was born.
“We were a big family and we were broke,” she recalls.
Determined to earn respect and recognition, Hosseini decided she wanted to become an actress. “I still can see how they were treating my parents or my sisters in school or on the streets just because of who we are.
“My family didn’t support me at first,” she says. “They thought I [was] disgracing them.”
They have long since changed their mind.

After the Taliban’s return to power in August 2021, countless Afghans have fled the country, with many finding themselves stranded in Iran.
According to the UN Refugee Agency, around 4.5 million Afghans currently live in Iran, a country of almost 90 million.
A recent influx of Afghan refugees has fuelled growing prejudice against the community. In September, the Iranian Interior Ministry announced plans to deport 2 million Afghans lacking legal residence permits.
Hosseini is no stranger to such attitudes, explaining that as her fame grows, she faces increased hate on social media.
“It used to hurt me a lot when I was younger, but not any more, because I knew that it’s not real,” she says, recalling how she learned to protect herself against online abuse.
Hosseini says her husband remains a crucial source of strength, driving both her determination and her ambitions. “When he was rehearsing or acting in front of the camera, it was like something else was coming out from his soul and his body. I started thinking, ‘What if I can do that?’”


Hosseini received Iranian citizenship after marrying Mohammadzadeh – a formality since she considers Iran to be her home anyway.
She has long set her sights on goals beyond national borders. “I want to grow, to be a person that can act on something and change something,” she says.
Her last international role, in Serbian drama Dwelling Among the Gods, has encouraged her to think more expansively about her career as an actress.
Today, the stage serves as a platform for her to challenge external hostility and to assert her own identity. Hosseini hopes that Iranian cinema can help dismantle prejudice and foster empathy.
“Whenever they want to make a movie about Afghan people here … they think about the worst story that can happen.”
Instead of seeing migrants as the “alien other”, she says, we need to cultivate more understanding.
“All I’m saying is we just have to be open with other people, to communicate with them, to see what is in their heart, what is in their mind.”


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Actress Fereshte Hosseini (pictured), born to Afghan immigrants in Iran, wants to help wipe away prejudice against Afghans in her adopted country through her acting. Photo: DPA/Picture Alliance via Getty Images)

Each of Iranian actress Fereshte Hosseini’s roles needs to comply with Iran’s strict dress code for women, even those in overseas productions. Photo: Instagram/@fereshtehosseini

Fereshte Hosseini with her husband, superstar Iranian actor Navid Mohammadzadeh, who she calls a crucial source of strength. Photo: Instagram/@fereshtehosseini

Hosseini at the 2024 Otranto Film Festival in Italy. Photo: Instagram/@fereshtehosseini

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Actress Fereshte Hosseini, born to Afghan immigrants in Iran, wants to help end prejudice against Afghans in the country, many refugees


Actress Fereshte Hosseini, born to Afghan immigrants in Iran, wants to help end prejudice against Afghans in the country, many refugees.


Iran

Women and gender