Tracing events up to 2024, The Burning Land is a short documentary that begins with a personal account from one of the filmmakers—a moment that sparks a deeper inquiry into history, memory, and power. From this intimate starting point, the film unfolds through archival footage and historical materials, weaving together real events to construct a narrative that directly responds to the personal experience introduced at the film’s outset. Though the incidents and imagery are grounded in truth, the voiceover traces the roots of both personal and collective struggles faced by ordinary Iranians today—citizens caught in battles shaped both by foreign forces and by their own government over recent decades—back to the discovery of oil and the enduring impact of neo-colonialism over the past century. While grounded in the weight of past events, the film ultimately evokes a quiet sense of concern, implying that only by confronting this history can we begin to grasp the uncertainties of what lies ahead.