My Uncle Jens

Official Selection, 2025 SXSW Film Festival

When an uncle he’s never met unexpectedly shows up in the middle of a rainy night dragging his wheel-less suitcase and lots of cultural baggage, what’s a good Kurdish boy to do? Akam insists Uncle takes the bed while Akam takes the floor and assures the roommates that this is what they do in Iran. Except Uncle Jens stretches tarof hospitality too far even for Akam. Not only do days turn into weeks, but Uncle Jens starts to disrupt the equilibrium of his small Oslo co-op, interrupting morning yoga, swapping out bathroom supplies, maybe even killing the sourdough starter. When Akam discovers his Iranian-Kurdish uncle already has a network in town, he begins to suspect Uncle Jens is up to something shady and recruits a lovely immigration expert for help, under the ruse of writing a thriller. As he uncovers more about Uncle Jens’ shenanigans, Akam discovers unexpected truths about his family navigating the route from homeland to the semi-underground immigrant networks of Oslo.

In this feature film debut, Kurdish-Norwegian Brwa Vahabpour crafts a charming comedy of cultures and generations, where contemporary migrations, unshakable hospitality, and political faultlines are set within the rarely-seen Iranian Scandinavian diaspora.

– Christina Ree