Writer: Ashley Tabatabai
Directors: Stefan Fairlamb & Ashley Tabatabai
Stars: Ashley Tabatabai, Mitchell Mullen, Arian Nik, Helen Maksoud
A grieving immigration officer begins to question his role in a dehumanizing system after encountering an Iranian brother and sister detained under the US travel ban enacted by then-President Donald Trump.
When I first spoke with writer, director, and star Ashley Tabatabai, Trump was merely a candidate. At the time, Hamdardi felt like a poignant reminder of a dark policy chapter we hoped had closed. But with Trump’s return to political power and reinstatement of the travel ban, the story feels eerily timely. Once again, Iran has become a lightning rod for political rhetoric—and for real human suffering.
A True Story of Pain and Anguish
Tabatabai’s moving script is inspired by a deeply personal event: his own cousin was denied entry into the U.S. while trying to visit her dying father. But the story resonates far beyond his own experience. In ‘Hamdardi’, Iranian siblings Reza (Arian Nik) and Pravaneh (Ayla Rose) arrive in the U.S. for the same heartbreaking reason—only to be detained under the travel ban. Fighting for their release is immigration lawyer Carol Williams (Helen Maksoud), while immigration officer Ethan (played by Tabatabai) is caught between duty and compassion. Already embroiled in a custody battle for his daughter, Ethan’s empathy for the siblings chip’s away at his professional detachment.
‘Hamdardi’ isn’t just a story about the travel ban—it’s a meditation on how institutions meant to protect can often become sources of chaos and cruelty. Reza and Pravaneh are stuck in a system that vilifies them without cause. Ethan, too, finds himself crushed by a different cog in the same machine. Layered onto this are scenes of detainees treated more like criminals than visitors, with cultural misunderstandings and bureaucratic failures fanning the flames of mistrust.
Trust The System
Tabatabai reunites with ‘Falsified‘ director Stefan Lamb to bring this emotionally raw and politically charged narrative to life. The antagonist here isn’t one person but the faceless, indifferent system. That said, it takes form in Mitch Mullen’s portrayal of Hank—a hardened immigration officer whose jaded worldview. This is summed up by his constant refrain: “Trust the system.” At first glance, Hank is a caricature of authoritarian indifference, but there’s more behind his gruff exterior. He’s a veteran who’s seen too much and found solace in surrendering to a flawed system he can no longer question.
That mantra—“trust the system”—is as much a challenge to the audience as it is a coping mechanism for the characters. Through mounting tension, Lamb and Tabatabai navigate a landscape that mirrors the West’s increasing social and political division. At the centre is Ethan, played with aching vulnerability by Tabatabai himself, in a performance steeped in empathy and inner conflict.
The Message
‘Hamdardi doesn’t mince words when it comes to the cruelty of the travel ban. It’s clear where the filmmakers stand. But while the message is potent, it never becomes didactic. Tabatabai and Lamb keep the focus on the people—on the families torn apart, the officers trapped by duty, and the ways policy fractures lives. It’s a story we hoped was relegated to the past, but its renewed relevance only adds to the heartbreak.
With compelling performances, strong direction, and polished production values, ‘Hamdardi’ is a gripping human drama. At its heart, it’s a story of compassion overcoming conflict—driven by conviction, artistry, and the belief that empathy still matters.