Parviz Kimiavi is one of the most prominent figures of 20th-century Persian cinema. After studying in Paris, he returned to his native Tehran. In his documentaries, he highlights various subjects in an often poetic and impressionistic way.

In P Like Pelican, an old hermit in a slum wants to teach the alphabet to the street children who often come to play in his neighbourhood. When a child suggests using the word "pelican" for the letter P, the hermit goes to the nearby park to see this animal he has never heard of.