Sepideh Kaav is an Iranian stand-up comedian based in Berlin, whose work combines dark comedy, political satire, personal storytelling and sharp observations on identity, migration, family and power.

At the University of Tehran, Sepideh was the editor-in-chief of a student periodical writing critical and sometimes funny articles about the news. She was also arrested by the morality police, the Gasht-e Ershad or Guidance Patrol.

Her comedy has been featured in an ARTE connected to war and Iranian politics. She has performed her hour around Europe, including sold-out previews, and is bringing the developed hour to Edinburgh Fringe 2026.

Sepideh Kaav: 1979: Persianality Disorder

An Iranian woman, making it everyone's problem.

Iranian comedian Sepideh Kaav brings 1979: Persianality Disorder to Edinburgh Fringe 2026, a darkly funny stand-up hour about growing up Iranian, living abroad, and trying to make jokes in a world of constantly breaking news and broken irony.

Part personal story, part political satire, 1979: Persianality Disorder looks at Iran, identity, censorship, displacement, family, fear, and the strange emotional gymnastics of being expected to explain your country while barely being able to explain your own life.

With sharp jokes, personal stories and a satirical eye on Iran, the West, war, and the performance of morality, 1979: Persianality Disorder explores the absurdity of being shaped by history while trying to survive the present. Sepideh asks: what happens when your childhood, your politics, and your punchlines all come from the same place? Can comedy make people look directly at the darkness they usually avoid? And is trauma funnier with a microphone?