Iranian Directors

Iranian directors face a strict censorship to produce films, however regardless of the strict censorship; they still produce films that display the realistic images of women and community. The films are banned to be shown in the Iranian theaters; however they are displayed in other countries, which have made these directors well known and award winning outside the countries. As Behram Byzaie, director of Bashu the Little Boy in an interview said "Unfortunately, the cinema that is supposed to address the nation is now addressing festivals.” Some of the Iranian award-winning films are not shown in the country for the Iranian audience but rather they are shown abroad. Strict Censorship has prevented directors to produce films that deals with social and political issues of relevance to Iranian audiences or meets their tastes in entertainment. "Our directors are expected to maintain the cliches demanded by international festivals, so they have to disguise themselves under a mask of intellectuality that is both strange and unfamiliar to our people," Beyzaie said.

Iranian film maker Jafar Panahi arrested by Islamic regime

Iranian film maker, Jafar Panahi, was arrested along with his wife and daughter because of wearing a green scarf which is a symbol of the green movement in Iran. He is the director award winning movies called Woman’s Prison and Offside which both deal with the social inequality of Iranian women after 1979 revolution. Both movies were banned to be shown in Iranian theaters, He was arrested at the funeral of Neda Agha Soltan by the Iranian officials.

Tahmineh Milani, A Fearless Female Director

Tahmineh Milani has produced movie in which have had conflicts with the Iranian censorship. Regardless of the rejection, she has managed to prouduce films that deal with realistic features of social, cultural and political issues in Iran.  At age 46, she is probably the most successful of Iran’s women filmmaker after the Islamic Revolution 1979.

Below is a video about Tahmineh Milani's works. Tahmineh, an activist and a film maker, has not remained silence and continues to produce films to show the realistic images of women although she has been imprisoned by the Iranian governement fourt times before.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QFIjKBsuZTQ&feature=channel

Below is another video about the dissident Iranian filmmaker who have produced films under the censorship of the Iranian government. “This fascinating piece profiles Iran's dissident filmmakers whose work proves that "censorship is the mother of all metaphors". Cinema here uses symbols to explore the darker side of society. "The Circle" tackles forbidden subjects like prostitution in defiance of Iran's hardline clerics. The film has sold to 37 countries, but has never been seen in Iran. Its director Jafar Panahi refuses to make the cuts demanded by the censors. The clerics have threatened to burn the film if they ever see a copy. Panahi says "They are afraid that if awareness increases or a new idea is expressed, they may lose their power". Tahmineh Milani has run into far more trouble with the authorities. She could face the death sentence for crimes she's accused of due to her film "The Hidden Half". It's a love story set in the brutal period following the Revolution. Her husband says the charges are a fabrication to silence filmmakers. Bahman Farmanara says cinema in Hollywood, where there is "censorship by financing" can be just as restrictive. And Iranian filmmakers have the power to shape society.”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ktoFKTmct0k&feature=channel

Negar Mottahedeh, Iranian Film Critic (Professor at Duke University)

Negar Mottahedeh is a cultural critic and film theorist recognized for her interdisciplinary and feminist contributions to the fields of Middle Eastern Studies and Film Studies. She is best known for her work on Iranian Cinema. In her book, Negar, argues that Iranian Cinema post 1979 Revolution requires woman to be veiled and thereby breaking the “male-gaze” that is the theme of the western movies. She notes that under Ayatollah Khoemini’ rule, many men had previously worked in the national film industry were forced out as part of cultural “purification”, leaving spots opone on film crews for women.