By: Valerie Milano
Los Angeles, CA (The Hollywood Times) 1/25/2025 – It was a dark time, the days in 2017 of the Trump administration’s 90-day travel ban affecting people from seven Muslim nations. Once a welcoming ethnic melting-pot, America was suddenly much less accepting of people from the middle east, a scenario that is playing out once again with the re-election of the Trump administration.
This ban was particularly hard on children whose parents already live in the U.S., causing a separation of families and creating a frightening environment of fear and prejudice. This emotional social turmoil is the subject of filmmaker Ashley Tabatabai’s short film, Hamdardi, a sensitively told story of a young Iranian brother and sister traveling to America to see their father, who is terribly ill and in the hospital.
The story focuses on Ethan, a U.S. Customs and Immigration officer torn between his duties and his conscience. Ethan’s internal conflict escalates as he confronts his uncompromising boss, who is intent on not allowing U.S. entry to the young siblings. The children’s vulnerability highlights the cruelty of the ban, as they struggle in confinement and await the opportunity to reunite with their parents.
Hamdardi showcases the human cost of political policies and is a must-watch for its flawless performances and timely message of empathy and resistance against injustice. This film doesn’t just tell a story – it demands reflection and confronts the audience with the pressing realities of our time.
Tabatabai, wrote, co-directed, produced and starred in the film in the role of Ethan, the conflicted ICE officer. He visited with The Hollywood Times recently to talk about this very timely drama that once again may be playing out at international ports of entry across the U.S. With so many duties, Tabatabai had his hands full during this production.
“I am an actor first and foremost,” Tabatabai said, acknowledging the “many hats” he wore during the production of this film. He said it took a great team of creative people to pull off a film like this.
Click below for our exclusive interview:
“You need a tribe, it’s as simple as that. A film doesn’t happen in a silo. The initial idea comes from the filmmaker, the writer, the director, but then you have to make that vision clear and then bring people on board who you think can bring their A game so you can trust them to take the ball and run with it. 
This film is only possible because I had great heads of departments and great people who came on – to bring it together, let alone a great cast that can bring these characters to life.”
Indeed, Hamdardi features a wonderful cast, particularly Mitchell Mullen and Helene Maksoud. Mullen plays Ethan’s uncompromising boss, Hank Henson, who is intent on not allowing entry to the young Iranian brother and sister.
Maksoud delivers a powerful performance as Carol Williams, the attorney representing the family, who brings a sense of justice and compassion to the story, a stark contrast to the environment of fear and prejudice created by Henson’s disdain and contempt for the people with whom he deals daily.
Arian Nik and Ayla Rose round out the main cast as Reza and Parvaneh Sadeghi, the two young Iranians who are held in detention as Henson angles to return them home. Both breathe life into the children’s vulnerability to highlight the cruelty of the ban. Ethan’s internal conflict escalates as he confronts Henson and facilitates the children’s ultimate entry.
The film’s musical score, mastered by Howard Carter, is an eloquent accent to the film’s story as it fashions a backdrop of subtle tension and emotional crescendos that reflect the turmoil. Add Adam Lyons’ outstanding cinematography the sound engineering by Carter and his team, and you have a solid success. All of these elements combine to shine a light on the prejudice that still rings true today for many international citizens travelling to the U.S.
British filmmaker Stefan Fairlamb, who co-directed and is an executive producer of the film with Lyons, making it just his second short in the director’s chair. Tabatabai, also produced, wrote and directed the award-winning short Falsified, which was short-listed for an Oscar in 2018. Hamdardi has qualified for consideration for the 2025 Oscars.
WATCH THE TRAILER HERE