Covered Memories – Films from Iran Maned & Macho, When the kid was a kid, Ayan and the White Balloon, Tattoo, The Visit (Short films)

Films and Talks

Testing censorship through innuendo and ciphers is a strength of Iranian cinema. It is remarkable how often these films pick up on the fate of women who are looking for ways out of the roles assigned to them. The programme includes animated, experimental, feature and documentary films from recent years, each of which has won numerous awards at festivals and is characterised by a particular visual and narrative style.

Curated by Afsun Moshiry und Farhad Delaram, fellow at the JUNGE AKADEMIE. Further guests are Vida Dena and Ayat Najafi.
Interviews with the film makers Farhad Delaram, Vida Dena, Azadeh Moussavi und Ayat Najafi complement the film programme on the Young Academy online platform.


Programme

6:30 - 9 pm: Short Films
We look forward to welcoming Farhad Delaram and Vida Dena as they present their films and participate in Q&As after the screenings.
(9 pm: documentary No Land’s Song)

The short film programme begins with Shiva Sadegh Assadi’s beautifully animated film, Maned & Macho (2017), about an adolescent girl whose repressed emotions and instincts are embodied in animals that come from her dreams because no one in her family is receptive to her feelings in real life.

The film When the Kid was a Kid (2009) by Anahita Ghazvinizadeh – an outstanding student of Abbas Kiarostami – explores the developing perspective of a young boy toward his divorced mother, who he impersonates in a play with his friends.

In her intimate and personal film Ayan and the White Balloon (2015), Vida Dena explores the social complications she experiences upon her return to Iran. She re-enacts a typical stop-and-search and plays through different variants. She also reflects on questions of origin and strangers.

In Tattoo (2018), Farhad Delaram documents the significant hardships a young woman faces when applying for an extension of herdriver’s license. This procedure results in multiple degrading interrogations due only to the fact that she has tattoos. The minimalist account earned the Best Short Film award (Generation 14plus competition) at the Berlinale. Farhad Delaram is also a Young Academy fellow in the artist-in-residence-programme at the Akademie der Künste.

From filmmaker Azadeh Moussavi comes The Visit (2019), a striking snapshot of a woman’s attempt to visit her husband, who is a political prisoner in an Iranian prison.


Text: Afsun Moshiry (curator)

The enduring strength of Iranian women has widely fascinated, attracted and disturbed Western societies since the dawn of time. Ancient Greek portrayals of influential Persian empresses and leaders ‒ such as Cassandane, Atossa, Amestris, Artunis and Artemisia ‒ convey not only their male biographers’ respect and awe but also their fear and resentment. They bring to light male insecurity stemming from the great influence that these women had on their environments. Even though their history and stories play an inextricable role in the identity of Iranian woman to the present day, Western media’s perspective represents a stark contrast, often portraying them as voiceless victims.

Prior to the 1979 Iranian Revolution – when the monarchy, seeking to modernise the country in line with Western standards, was overthrown by an Islamic theocracy – progress was being made regarding certain women’s rights and freedoms, such as increased familial rights and freedom of expression through fashion. However, the deeply rooted religious and cultural conservatism prevalent in Iranian culture presented major challenges during this liberal period. Although Iranian women appeared to enjoy many of the same freedoms as their male counterparts, they were still forbidden from doing so by their families and communities. Opponents of this liberalisation ultimately prevailed, and as a result of the Revolution, these restrictions were enacted into law.

Changes ushered in since the Revolution have dramatically impacted the daily lives of Iranian women, requiring them to wear a hijab in public, to obtain permission from their husband or male guardian to travel, and stripping them of their rights to custody and property following a divorce – among other things. The spark of liberal progress in Iran’s history has all but been forgotten. Icons from this brief but profound period – such as legendary poet and filmmaker Forough Farokhzad – however, serve as lasting sources of inspiration for later generations of women.

The film programme Covered Memories offers a glimpse into the life of modern Iranian women and the society surrounding them. The films selected for this screening are dedicated to the people who, despite punitive social and political forces, show that Iranian women continue to persevere in the face of adversity. “Covered” reflects both the physical coverings imposed on women and also the self-censorship inherent in Iranian culture that affects the daily life of Iranian women, inhibiting their ability to express themselves freely. “Memories” on the other hand, reflects the profound history of women as protagonists in Iranian culture, not merely as objects of male oppression, but as artists, philosophers, scientists, leaders and active forces in world history.

I speak out of the deep of night
out of the deep of darkness
and out of the deep of night, I speak.

If you come to my house, friend,
bring me a lamp and a window I can look through
at the crowd in the happy alley.

Forough Farrokhzad

Thursday, 15 Oct 2020

6:30 pm

Hanseatenweg

Studio

Short Film Programme

Talk with Vida Dena and Farhad Delaram

Moderation: Afsun Moshiry

In English

€ 6/4