Pulling The Strings (2026): Cast, Story and Release Details

Prepared by Movies Dock Editorial

Pulling The Strings is a 15-minute Iranian drama-fantasy short that reimagines the Oedipus story through a puppet who resists a predetermined fate. As the puppet challenges its creator, the film explores free will, authorship and the shifting boundary between creator and creation without revealing its conclusion.

Pulling The Strings is a 2026 Iranian short film written and directed by Amirhossein Pouresmaeili. Set around a puppet performance of Oedipus, the film gives a familiar tragic framework a fantastical new perspective.

At just 15 minutes, the drama centers on a puppet’s decision to resist the fate assigned to it. The resulting conflict places the puppet, its creator and the idea of authorship at the heart of the story.

Pulling The Strings movie details

Story without spoilers

While performing Oedipus on stage, a string puppet chooses not to accept the fate written for it. That act of defiance brings the puppet into conflict with its creator and raises questions about whether a character can separate itself from the will of the one who made it.

The film’s premise also turns the idea of creation back on itself. As the puppet searches for independence, the relationship between creator and creation becomes increasingly uncertain, giving the short a philosophical dimension rooted in Greek tragedy, theatre and puppet animation.

What to expect

Pulling The Strings combines drama and fantasy within a compact short-film format. Its supplied premise points to a story concerned with fate, free will, control and the relationship between an artist and an invented character.

The Oedipus setting provides a recognizable tragic foundation, while the puppet-performance concept gives the film a distinct theatrical and animated framework. The focus is on a central existential conflict rather than a broad ensemble narrative.

Cast and creative team

Amirhossein Pouresmaeili serves as both director and writer. Zahra Pashapour plays The Creator, while Kiarash Shirvani voices or performs The Puppet. The cast also includes Ali Malakan as Second Puppet, Danial Bolook Azari as First Puppetarian and Yasmin Shirani as Second Puppetarian.

• Zahra Pashapour as The Creator
• Kiarash Shirvani as The Puppet
• Ali Malakan as Second Puppet
• Danial Bolook Azari as First Puppetarian
• Yasmin Shirani as Second Puppetarian

Release and production context

Pulling The Strings is a 2026 production from Iran, with Persian listed as its spoken language. It has a runtime of 15 minutes and is categorized as a drama and fantasy short film. The production company is the Iranian Youth Cinema Society (IYCS). Its listed release date is October 17, 2026, and its status is Released.

Production companies: Iranian Youth Cinema Society (IYCS)

Movies Dock view

With its compact length and focused premise, Pulling The Strings frames a puppet performance as a conflict over destiny and creative control. The combination of Oedipus, theatre and fantasy gives the Iranian short a clear conceptual identity while leaving its interpretation open to viewers.

Film data:
TMDB