Conversation with Siavash Khoramgah

Is Iranian cinema currently successful? What is the position of women in this cinema? What is the status of feminism in Iranian cinema?

These are among the questions that have been raised in the conversation of peace talks with the enlightening presence of Ala, a researcher, poet, and literary critic, in order to seek their opinions.

Mrs. Noori Ala, who has a background in acting before the revolution, also has the film “Peace in the Presence of Others” directed by Nasser Taghavi in her resume. She has been living outside of Iran for years.

The history of cinema in Iran shows that a difficult path has been taken for the profession of acting by women to be established in our society. But in your opinion, what has been the most important challenge or challenges that women in this field have faced and fought against in the beginning?

The biggest challenge is the existence of a traditional-religious culture, a culture that was present in the past and is now evident. In the past, the government and the law stood against religious and traditional biases that were prevalent among the majority of men or people in society, which were the biggest obstacle to women’s presence in the field of cinema or art in general, and supported female artists. However, the current regime, which is based on discrimination and hostility towards women, is itself a promoter of a religious and traditional culture that is against women. The exception is that in the current government, the mandatory hijab that was imposed on women and the imposed restrictions between men and women, made it easier for families to allow their daughters and women to enter the field of cinema and theater. In their minds, this field became safer and purer; of course, this statement does not mean giving credibility to the hijab. I only mean the illusion that has occurred.

Considering the position of Iranian cinema in the world, how successful can this cinema be called?

Success, or better to say “fame”, of Iranian cinema in the world today is not solely due to its artistic values; Iranian filmmakers will not be able to reach international film festivals as long as they cannot pass through the government and political obstacles. In the previous regime, despite all the political barriers, Iranian cinema was moving towards the global cinema and becoming a professional cinema, but the revolution happened and unfortunately all the affairs of cinema fell into the hands of those who had no knowledge of cinema. Although gradually some of these individuals, like Mr. Makhmalbaf, with their talent were able to rise. When the universities were closed, Mr. Makhmalbaf sat alone in the cinema hall of the Faculty of Fine Arts and watched all the films in the history of world cinema and learned something. And as long as he was not suppressed by the government, he reached the international cinema scene. Today, the situation is the same. For example, Mr. Farhadi,

Let’s put aside the global success or fame that Iranian cinema achieves with a thousand struggles. In my opinion, despite all the shortcomings and difficulties that exist for independent filmmakers, I consider Iranian cinema to be a successful cinema in a limited sense. We have capable filmmakers, many of whom are banned or their films are pulled out of domestic festivals. Some of them are currently in prison. Overall, Iranian cinema, with all its ups and downs, despite the waves of vulgar films, has been able to make remarkable progress.

Do you consider Iranian cinema successful, even with the issue of women’s position, including the issue of hijab and creating unrealistic spaces, especially in relationships between couples or families, portrayed in films?

It’s not just about the hijab. We all know the most ridiculous thing is for a woman to wear a hijab in her own bedroom with her husband. But let’s say in a symbolic gesture, we don’t see this hijab; are the other issues related to women’s rights addressed in these films? No. That’s the main problem here. As I mentioned, Iranian cinema has serious and vital flaws in many issues, especially those related to women’s rights, and for this reason, we cannot say that these films are complete. For example, in the well-made film “A Separation”, although the story begins with Simin’s desire for divorce, we never see the director addressing her demands, such as the right to divorce, custody of her child, or even her right to leave the country. In other words, all the subjects that the film is based on have been replaced by a series of eye-catching actions. Therefore, this film falls short in some ways.

In your opinion, what is the position of feminism in Iranian cinema? Do you evaluate the performance of directors and screenwriters, especially women who are advocates of this movement, positively?

The government of Iran, without understanding the meaning of feminism, is afraid of it like a monster. Feminism simply refers to all movements that seek to achieve equal rights for women, equal to those of men. Anyone who challenges the laws of patriarchal regimes and cultures, religious, oppressive or discriminatory, is called a feminist. For this reason, men can also be feminists.

The government of Iran, since it is fundamentally sensitive to any attempt to promote gender equality, is afraid and strongly opposes any movement or film that seeks to enter this territory – meaning that it raises women’s demands.

But in any case, there are women like Tahmineh Milani who, despite being broken and bruised, have tried to portray the issues, shortcomings, and deprivation of Iranian women in their films; or Rakhshan Bani Etemad and Pouran Derakhshandeh. Of course, I do not consider Bani Etemad’s “Blue Scarf” to be in line with the concept of feminism. Pouran Derakhshandeh, with her film “Daughters Don’t Scream,” had the courage to enter one of the most sensitive areas related to women, which is sexual assault and harassment. In my opinion, this is commendable. Unfortunately, Farhadi easily overlooked this issue in “The Salesman.” I think nowadays, men and women who know that men and women are naturally equal, try to portray these issues in their works despite all the difficulties. While someone like Farhadi, who has many resources, follows the government’s policies

This is where we see how easy it is for people like Farhadi to make films with the help of the government, and in reality, by promoting religious and traditional mindset, they hinder the promotion of feminism.

It is said that in recent years, the migration of Iranian female actors has increased compared to a decade or two ago, as well as that of men. Considering that the situation of censorship and the position of women in cinema has not changed much in these decades, what do you think is the reason for this increase in migration?

I have not done any research in this area, but I believe that primarily this is a general issue and outside of cinema. That is, from the time of the revolution until now, the greatest pressure on women has been in all areas such as sports, education, clothing, socializing, and art. If you add legal, financial, and legal issues to them, it is natural that the demand for female artists to emigrate outside the country increases.

Can we hope to see a professional cinema in Iran without changing the position of women in Iranian cinema and resisting against any reforms through your summary of the situation of women in Iranian cinema and the policies that have been outlined to create this position?

In cinema, just like all other artistic and cultural fields, true growth cannot happen until men and women are equal. In a cinema where there are so many restrictions and half of the actors are forced to appear with headscarves and restrictive makeup, and where men and women don’t have the courage to even touch their lips to the clothes of the opposite sex, we will not have complete films or complete works of art, and the films are distorted. In real life, no one is like these characters.

But considering the knowledge and information that our artists have nowadays in general and our non-commercial filmmakers in particular, I am optimistic about the future of Iranian cinema. In many non-governmental and non-commercial films (I have watched almost all Iranian films), I have seen directors and actors trying their best to preserve the human identity of the characters despite all the difficulties. I respect them for that.

Thank you for the opportunity you have given us.