Iranian children’s cinema serves as a lens through which the evolving constructs of childhood and adolescence are examined, shaped by the socio-political upheavals of contemporary Iranian society over the past five decades. This cultural narrative unfolds as a tale of tension between tradition and modernity, where children and childhood symbolize the conflicting forces at play. While children are often heralded as symbols of progress and modernity, they paradoxically emerge as primary casualties of the tumultuous waves of modernization. Depictions oscillate between portraying children as miniature adults and as vulnerable beings seeking empathy and acceptance. Iranian children’s cinema thus presents young protagonists as agents navigating a quest for self-identity and autonomy, their voices echoing themes of change, defiance, and resilience in the face of social shifts.