Roya Was Here

Two Iranian men, young student Shahram and older journalist Abbas meet at Schiphol airport. In order to make a better chance for asylum they decide to pretend to be homosexual.

Roya, a refugee from Iran who has exhausted all legal remedies, flees her asylum seekers’ center to avoid being sent back to Iran. With an address in her pocket, she hopes to stay with Nassim, who assists rejected refugees. Nassim, however, claims to be unable to open the door. Having nowhere else to go, Roya is determined to stay. Slowly but surely, a conversation develops between the two. Marked by their past as refugees, they are both looking for a way out. They could be each other’s salvation, but a closed door stands between them. They get to know each other through the closed door, and so two life stories with one fate are unveiled.