The Venice Film Festival is set to premiere two Iranian dramas that depict life under the ongoing war in Iran, six months after the country was struck by US and Israeli forces. Directors Ali Asgari and Mohsen Gharaei, both shot covertly inside Iran, offer a rare on-the-ground perspective on how the conflict and the country's repressive regime are affecting ordinary lives, at a time when Iranian filmmakers face mounting restrictions and danger.

Asgari's "A Bit of Light," starring Misagh Zareh, follows a doctor whose faith in the future collapses after his arrest and the closure of his Tehran practice, and will screen in Venice's main competition. Gharaei's "Falling House," in the Horizons section, portrays a family facing the destruction of their home amid a redevelopment scheme. Producers, including Oscar-winner Odessa Rae and lead producer Milad Khosravi, described having to disguise scripts to obtain filming permits and smuggling footage out of Iran before the war escalated, finishing production in Germany and Istanbul. The filmmakers, now living in exile, will attend Venice but are expected to face difficulty securing US visas, though both films already have international distribution deals in place.