Tara Aghdashloo, an Iranian writer and director, has been awake since 3:45 a.m. when we speak. This is not unusual for her; sleeping has become increasingly rare since widespread protests erupted across Iran in response to catastrophic economic collapse and what many see as Iran's repressive regime.
She is constantly online, receiving messages at all hours and exposed to multiple news sources. Sleep comes in fragments. An activist and former journalist, she shares updates about escalating protests and the regime’s crackdown against demonstrators, tries to respond to as many people as she can, and then attempts — often unsuccessfully — to rest.
