1 00:01:15,959 --> 00:01:23,239 Life is perhaps a rope with which a man hangs himself from a branch 2 00:01:23,520 --> 00:01:28,310 Life is perhaps a child returning home from school 3 00:01:29,400 --> 00:01:35,000 Or the absent gaze of a passerby who takes off his hat to another passerby 4 00:01:35,359 --> 00:01:40,400 With a meaningless smile and a good morning 5 00:01:41,879 --> 00:01:45,879 Life is perhaps that enclosed moment when my gaze 6 00:01:45,920 --> 00:01:50,120 destroys itself in the pupil of your eyes 7 00:01:50,480 --> 00:01:55,480 And it is in the feeling which I put into the moon's impression 8 00:01:55,560 --> 00:01:57,700 and the night's perception. 9 00:01:59,840 --> 00:02:06,280 In a room as big as loneliness my heart, which is as big as love 10 00:02:06,799 --> 00:02:10,919 Looks at the simple pretexts of its happiness 11 00:02:11,439 --> 00:02:15,318 At the beautiful decay of flowers in the vase 12 00:02:15,440 --> 00:02:19,750 At the sapling you planted in our garden 13 00:02:19,870 --> 00:02:24,820 And the song of canaries which sing to the size of a window 14 00:02:28,080 --> 00:02:31,840 Ah! This is my lot 15 00:02:32,120 --> 00:02:38,520 My lot is a sky taken away at the drop of a curtain 16 00:02:41,560 --> 00:02:44,439 Your eyes are very beautiful. 17 00:03:09,680 --> 00:03:12,240 Don't you want a lift? 18 00:03:12,319 --> 00:03:14,959 I can be your taxi driver. You can pay me the fare. 19 00:03:14,960 --> 00:03:18,400 We don't want to go to the Spring of Ali now. 20 00:03:19,199 --> 00:03:21,319 Goodbye. 21 00:03:29,879 --> 00:03:31,918 Is it okay to film here? 22 00:03:31,919 --> 00:03:34,080 Yes. 23 00:03:49,590 --> 00:03:52,460 You said you want to make a film based on your PhD research 24 00:03:52,590 --> 00:03:58,080 - that centres around the cinema of Iran. - Yes. 25 00:03:59,470 --> 00:04:01,100 Where do we begin? 26 00:04:23,279 --> 00:04:27,680 When I first came to Tehran, it felt like I had been there before. 27 00:04:28,680 --> 00:04:31,800 As I looked out at the streets from the crowded morning bus 28 00:04:32,600 --> 00:04:35,180 I was overcome by a strange dejavu. 29 00:04:35,959 --> 00:04:39,639 The alleys and the women surrounding me seemed familiar. 30 00:04:42,120 --> 00:04:44,638 I didn't know how to speak a word in Farsi 31 00:04:44,639 --> 00:04:49,160 but could feel the verses of poetry and scenes from Iranian cinema 32 00:04:49,600 --> 00:04:53,360 that inspired my journey, had suddenly come to life. 33 00:04:56,079 --> 00:05:01,639 I felt like a spectator marvelling at the film unfolding before my eyes. 34 00:05:29,120 --> 00:05:31,680 Miss, are you filming me? 35 00:05:37,480 --> 00:05:41,120 About ten years ago, I remember being in a dark room 36 00:05:41,199 --> 00:05:43,839 with other young and agitated students 37 00:05:44,120 --> 00:05:47,480 who had joined the cinema course for many reasons. 38 00:05:48,040 --> 00:05:51,800 I did not have a reason then. I was 21. 39 00:06:00,800 --> 00:06:05,120 The films that we were to watch shortly, changed everything. 40 00:06:06,319 --> 00:06:11,319 Some of the first Iranian films shown to us during our Film Studies classes 41 00:06:11,560 --> 00:06:17,120 were those by Mohsen Makhmalbaf, Abbas Kiarostami and Jafar Panahi. 42 00:06:31,519 --> 00:06:36,560 This cinema and the simultaneous readings of the poetry of Forough Farrokhzad, 43 00:06:36,720 --> 00:06:40,120 a rebel poet and filmmaker from the '60s, 44 00:06:40,720 --> 00:06:46,360 broke the image of Iran that reached us through conventional news and media. 45 00:06:47,480 --> 00:06:50,519 These films spoke of hope and poeticism 46 00:06:50,600 --> 00:06:54,560 despite being made under an obsessive, totalitarian regime. 47 00:07:10,440 --> 00:07:15,020 The film The House is Black faced a lot of censorship in its time. 48 00:07:15,190 --> 00:07:19,880 Even before the revolution, some special institutions believed that 49 00:07:20,080 --> 00:07:22,550 The House is Black was a metaphor for Iranian society. 50 00:07:22,560 --> 00:07:26,559 'The House' was a direct reference to Iran 51 00:07:26,560 --> 00:07:29,318 and 'The House is Black' referred to Iranians living in dark times. 52 00:07:29,319 --> 00:07:34,039 In my opinion, even at that time, 53 00:07:34,040 --> 00:07:39,999 the film was not presented to Iranians appropriately. 54 00:07:40,000 --> 00:07:44,520 A film that won awards out of Iran, in Iran... 55 00:07:45,630 --> 00:07:46,630 Was prohibited. 56 00:07:46,640 --> 00:07:52,319 Was not prohibited, but did not receive the attention it deserved. 57 00:07:54,480 --> 00:07:59,480 In Iran, even if you have a little sense of poetry 58 00:07:59,519 --> 00:08:04,120 Forough will be the first person you'll know. 59 00:08:05,800 --> 00:08:11,879 Because Forough voices the feelings of an Iranian woman. 60 00:08:12,160 --> 00:08:14,000 Not just an Iranian woman 61 00:08:14,519 --> 00:08:19,540 but women from any part of the earth can connect with her feelings, 62 00:08:19,600 --> 00:08:22,070 her language and expressions. 63 00:08:22,560 --> 00:08:26,180 Just like how Forough attracted you even in India 64 00:08:26,240 --> 00:08:33,000 and here you are now, following her traces even to her grave. 65 00:08:42,480 --> 00:08:44,360 Where did this hope emanate from? 66 00:08:45,039 --> 00:08:48,319 How could such life affirming stories of beauty 67 00:08:48,320 --> 00:08:51,479 emerge from the claustrophobia of censorship? 68 00:08:51,480 --> 00:08:52,679 I wanted to learn. 69 00:08:53,550 --> 00:08:59,160 Fuelled by passion, I let myself be taken to the land of unheard stories 70 00:08:59,399 --> 00:09:00,799 on the wings of cinema. 71 00:09:13,759 --> 00:09:16,398 - Hello. - How are you doing? 72 00:09:16,399 --> 00:09:18,039 Very well, thank you. 73 00:09:28,399 --> 00:09:32,479 - I have a guest - Hello, I'll film with your permission. 74 00:09:32,480 --> 00:09:34,959 - What is your name? - Sreemoyee 75 00:09:34,960 --> 00:09:38,720 She has come from India. She is researching Iranian cinema. 76 00:09:39,240 --> 00:09:43,600 I thought I'd make her buy some glasses here. 77 00:09:44,080 --> 00:09:49,399 I had called to say your glasses are ready. 78 00:09:53,399 --> 00:09:55,759 - What song were you singing? - Soltane Ghalbha. 79 00:09:57,120 --> 00:09:59,340 - Why don't you sing it? - What, now? 80 00:09:59,640 --> 00:10:00,640 Yes. 81 00:10:01,279 --> 00:10:05,679 You are the king of my heart... 82 00:10:06,879 --> 00:10:10,999 What's the next line? Breaking the... What was it? 83 00:10:11,000 --> 00:10:14,919 - Don't you know the line? - Yes, I do. 84 00:10:15,799 --> 00:10:22,039 - What are you doing? - So your voice doesn't go out. 85 00:10:22,840 --> 00:10:28,519 - Will you film me? - Why don't you sing and film together? 86 00:10:34,039 --> 00:10:38,440 The heart says it wants to leave 87 00:10:38,879 --> 00:10:43,959 The heart also says it wants to stay 88 00:10:43,960 --> 00:10:48,799 The heart cannot do without you 89 00:10:49,000 --> 00:10:51,480 It doesn't know what to do without you 90 00:10:54,030 --> 00:10:58,760 Before love, so beautiful 91 00:10:58,919 --> 00:11:03,840 The world seems so tiny 92 00:11:04,000 --> 00:11:08,919 I wander everywhere with your memory 93 00:11:09,080 --> 00:11:12,080 So I keep you within 94 00:11:13,879 --> 00:11:18,559 You, the king of my heart 95 00:11:18,919 --> 00:11:23,878 Have broken all the doors to reach the soul 96 00:11:23,879 --> 00:11:29,079 You pledged to be my lover 97 00:11:29,080 --> 00:11:33,480 You reside within me 98 00:11:33,800 --> 00:11:36,590 Okay, that's enough. 99 00:11:36,660 --> 00:11:39,360 It's beautiful, but stop or else people will gather at the door. 100 00:11:39,879 --> 00:11:42,080 Seen what a voice she has? 101 00:11:44,399 --> 00:11:47,518 What's wrong if people gather here? 102 00:11:47,520 --> 00:11:49,278 - Nothing. - Then? 103 00:11:49,280 --> 00:11:50,558 In Iran it's forbidden. 104 00:11:50,559 --> 00:11:52,158 You're afraid! 105 00:11:52,160 --> 00:11:54,719 No, because no one would buy glasses from him anymore, 106 00:11:54,720 --> 00:11:58,060 they'll think you are singing to earn money. 107 00:12:03,120 --> 00:12:06,679 Thank you. Goodbye. Let's go. 108 00:12:06,780 --> 00:12:12,480 I was learning Farsi more through the songs I heard than the language classes I took. 109 00:12:14,440 --> 00:12:17,440 While music instantly got me closer to everyone, 110 00:12:17,759 --> 00:12:21,679 it seemed to be a privilege I had only as an outsider. 111 00:12:46,600 --> 00:12:49,360 Women could not publicly sing in Iran. 112 00:12:49,519 --> 00:12:52,999 Everyone I met asked me to sing Persian songs 113 00:12:53,000 --> 00:12:57,000 as though desiring to fill the absence of a feminine voice. 114 00:13:45,799 --> 00:13:51,759 Is this a good place to film? 115 00:13:52,000 --> 00:13:54,120 It's lovely here. 116 00:14:03,720 --> 00:14:09,679 He knows I want to talk about sexuality... 117 00:14:10,200 --> 00:14:16,720 and eroticism... so he starts his work. 118 00:14:18,080 --> 00:14:20,798 He is censoring you. 119 00:14:20,799 --> 00:14:23,959 I think he's been sent by the Ministry of Islamic Guidance... 120 00:14:23,960 --> 00:14:27,600 to repair the house next door. 121 00:14:28,320 --> 00:14:33,919 Every time I want to talk, they tell them to turn the drill on. 122 00:14:38,559 --> 00:14:41,320 Okay then... 123 00:14:41,960 --> 00:14:45,399 Let's talk about religion. 124 00:14:46,840 --> 00:14:49,960 Look, it's off! 125 00:14:51,200 --> 00:14:55,399 We are talking about religion now... 126 00:14:56,799 --> 00:14:57,559 Silence! 127 00:14:57,560 --> 00:14:59,200 They are silent. 128 00:15:10,960 --> 00:15:13,519 As I was saying... 129 00:15:18,679 --> 00:15:21,199 One of the reasons why... 130 00:15:22,280 --> 00:15:28,430 people consider some of my films erotic... 131 00:15:28,820 --> 00:15:34,310 is because I come from a religious background. 132 00:15:34,320 --> 00:15:36,678 I grew up in a religious family. 133 00:15:37,200 --> 00:15:40,240 In religious families... 134 00:15:40,600 --> 00:15:43,630 like you see in Iranian cinema, the body is never seen. 135 00:15:43,700 --> 00:15:45,900 The body is covered. 136 00:15:47,860 --> 00:15:53,540 The mother would not only cover herself, but also her daughter. 137 00:15:53,800 --> 00:16:00,000 The absence of the body is of utmost importance. 138 00:16:02,160 --> 00:16:03,560 For this reason... 139 00:16:06,000 --> 00:16:11,680 For this reason, many consider a lady wearing a chador sexier. 140 00:16:13,559 --> 00:16:18,240 Look! Talk about sex appeal has made them start again. 141 00:16:33,759 --> 00:16:38,679 I want to talk about hijab... look, they are silent. 142 00:16:39,000 --> 00:16:41,600 Let's talk about hijab, and the chador... 143 00:16:41,759 --> 00:16:43,480 Look, there is no noise. 144 00:16:49,399 --> 00:16:52,799 They stopped when we talked about the chador. 145 00:16:56,600 --> 00:16:58,900 I'm afraid if I again start talking about... 146 00:17:01,060 --> 00:17:08,980 how the chador or hijab could make a woman erotic... 147 00:17:11,080 --> 00:17:15,660 they will start making noise again. 148 00:17:15,960 --> 00:17:17,160 See! 149 00:17:25,380 --> 00:17:28,239 Let's skip the questions... 150 00:17:28,240 --> 00:17:30,480 and drink tea. 151 00:17:32,720 --> 00:17:36,540 Let's have tea until they stop. 152 00:17:36,600 --> 00:17:38,830 Censorship in Iran cannot be escaped from. 153 00:17:39,840 --> 00:17:44,200 Censorship is not just in the hands of the Government or the Ministry of Guidance. 154 00:17:44,540 --> 00:17:46,440 We keep censoring ourselves all the time. 155 00:17:46,500 --> 00:17:51,400 Sometimes knowingly, sometimes unknowingly. 156 00:18:05,640 --> 00:18:10,160 Unveiled, Forough openly spoke about her desires in this patriarchal society. 157 00:18:10,559 --> 00:18:18,559 Not everyone was impressed with her audacity to express herself as a lover. 158 00:18:19,599 --> 00:18:25,799 Her only crime was that she chose to write as a woman, not a man. 159 00:18:26,160 --> 00:18:34,118 She wanted others to realise these feelings came from the depths of feminine existence. 160 00:18:34,119 --> 00:18:39,598 She wanted to write about the desires of a woman stemming from love. 161 00:18:39,599 --> 00:18:41,680 There was nothing masculine about them. 162 00:18:43,160 --> 00:18:49,559 From the very first day, Forough made me feel like a woman. 163 00:18:51,480 --> 00:18:54,860 This feeling grew deeper in me. 164 00:18:55,060 --> 00:19:00,340 I was studying Persian literature at that time. 165 00:19:01,480 --> 00:19:08,000 It led me to write my thesis on the role of women in literature and Iranian cinema. 166 00:19:10,640 --> 00:19:17,240 I found that Forough is the point at which our cinema and poetry meet 167 00:19:18,079 --> 00:19:23,440 In our discussions of poetry and Iranian cinema, Forough couldn't be left behind. 168 00:19:33,519 --> 00:19:35,240 Do you know Forough? 169 00:19:38,960 --> 00:19:39,960 Yes. 170 00:19:40,480 --> 00:19:42,680 - Who is Forough? - Gohar's daughter. 171 00:19:42,839 --> 00:19:46,359 No, the one I mean is a poet. 172 00:19:47,200 --> 00:19:51,079 I'll read one of her poems while you milk the cow... 173 00:19:52,119 --> 00:19:54,079 to pass the time. 174 00:19:58,279 --> 00:20:02,279 - You're not answering. - Go on. 175 00:20:03,510 --> 00:20:05,300 It goes like this: 176 00:20:06,580 --> 00:20:08,920 "In my night so brief, alas 177 00:20:09,350 --> 00:20:12,340 "The wind has a rendezvous with the leaves of the trees" 178 00:20:13,960 --> 00:20:15,540 Do you know what a rendezvous is? 179 00:20:17,540 --> 00:20:18,700 A date. 180 00:20:25,079 --> 00:20:26,359 There it is. 181 00:20:26,400 --> 00:20:31,640 You see the last house? That's Kiarostami's house 182 00:20:32,160 --> 00:20:33,440 - This one? - Yes. 183 00:20:38,240 --> 00:20:40,880 Ali, do you think we can go in? 184 00:20:41,720 --> 00:20:46,880 There is a bell, but I'm not sure it's a good idea. 185 00:20:47,799 --> 00:20:52,680 I had walked up to Kiarostami's house one afternoon, hoping to meet him. 186 00:20:53,559 --> 00:20:56,799 Instead, I slid a note under his door. 187 00:20:58,759 --> 00:21:01,000 He died a week later. 188 00:21:04,640 --> 00:21:06,640 That was the closest I could get to him. 189 00:21:07,720 --> 00:21:11,119 Except through the memories recounted by his friends. 190 00:21:41,120 --> 00:21:43,960 That's the album of photos. 191 00:21:44,480 --> 00:21:45,960 - You want to see it? - Yeah. 192 00:21:47,350 --> 00:21:51,440 One of the first friends I made in Iran was Farhad. 193 00:21:51,750 --> 00:21:54,660 He had acted in two of Kiarostami's films. 194 00:21:57,440 --> 00:22:00,839 We spent endless afternoons discussing cinema, 195 00:22:01,000 --> 00:22:06,160 Kiarostami and stories of a generation that witnessed had the revolution. 196 00:22:06,400 --> 00:22:11,240 This is Ansari. This is Keshabarz and me. 197 00:22:14,580 --> 00:22:17,140 Cinema happened to him by chance one day 198 00:22:17,220 --> 00:22:20,780 when he caught Kiarostami staring at him at a party. 199 00:22:21,320 --> 00:22:25,300 Soon he was called for an audition for And Life Goes On. 200 00:22:28,079 --> 00:22:33,759 There was a scene where I converse with my son while driving. 201 00:22:34,000 --> 00:22:42,260 Kiarostami had given us some lines and asked us to improvise. 202 00:22:42,360 --> 00:22:49,060 After a while I realised the boy was tired and I thought it's better to sing. 203 00:22:49,160 --> 00:22:54,880 An Italian song came to mind. I sang it. 204 00:22:56,030 --> 00:23:03,120 A village means not being left alone 205 00:23:03,420 --> 00:23:07,230 Having friends, having wine, having coffee 206 00:23:07,240 --> 00:23:13,358 I have come home from the city, I recognise the streets 207 00:23:13,540 --> 00:23:21,140 With the remaining holes, the disappearing houses 208 00:23:21,340 --> 00:23:25,160 That once belonged to me 209 00:23:26,119 --> 00:23:30,839 Beyond the yellow hills there is a sea 210 00:23:31,119 --> 00:23:35,039 A sea of stubble that never seems to cease 211 00:23:35,920 --> 00:23:41,700 I don't want the sea anymore I've seen enough 212 00:23:41,940 --> 00:23:46,660 I prefer a ramp and a drink in silence 213 00:23:46,720 --> 00:23:52,020 The great silence that is your virtue 214 00:24:02,759 --> 00:24:09,160 When the film was ready they took it for review to the censor committee. 215 00:24:09,400 --> 00:24:16,119 One among them heading the committee was a blind man. 216 00:24:16,799 --> 00:24:20,720 Kiarostami told us that the person deciding the fate of film was blind. 217 00:24:21,359 --> 00:24:24,680 He heard the song and asked, "Why is he singing an Italian song?" 218 00:24:25,079 --> 00:24:28,279 He said, " No. Remove this. The film can be passed without this part." 219 00:24:28,750 --> 00:24:32,480 When I heard this, I was very disappointed. 220 00:24:33,359 --> 00:24:40,279 I couldn't understand what problem they had with this beautiful song. 221 00:24:40,799 --> 00:24:43,119 Such a pity it had to be removed. 222 00:24:43,240 --> 00:24:47,318 Later I told him to share the song with me so I could have it. 223 00:24:47,319 --> 00:24:49,839 He said, he burnt it. 224 00:24:53,480 --> 00:24:54,920 It's enough for today. 225 00:24:57,240 --> 00:25:00,039 Let's go down to eat soup. 226 00:25:01,240 --> 00:25:02,880 It's very delicious. 227 00:25:03,599 --> 00:25:06,440 I remember I was staying in a dormitory back then. 228 00:25:07,000 --> 00:25:10,000 I was given a bed, but the room had no window. 229 00:25:11,200 --> 00:25:15,839 Farhad and his wife Taraneh insisted that I stayed with them in their house. 230 00:25:17,240 --> 00:25:24,759 This is Forough Farrokhzad's document that says she was in our house. 231 00:25:26,680 --> 00:25:32,000 And the tenant, Forough oz-Zaman Farrokhzad Eraqi... 232 00:25:32,400 --> 00:25:35,920 daughter of Mohammad with ID number 678... 233 00:25:36,200 --> 00:25:38,240 It was Forough who brought me to Iran. 234 00:25:38,960 --> 00:25:42,200 I could feel her presence from the very beginning. 235 00:25:42,880 --> 00:25:45,440 As Farhad showed me her rent document 236 00:25:45,720 --> 00:25:50,359 I came to know she lived in the very house I was staying in then. 237 00:25:51,480 --> 00:25:53,359 The feeling hadn't sunk in yet. 238 00:25:54,160 --> 00:25:56,839 You see, none of this was planned. 239 00:25:57,200 --> 00:25:59,839 Sheer chance brought me so close to her. 240 00:26:00,480 --> 00:26:03,519 I don't think I can fully express the feeling in words. 241 00:26:03,920 --> 00:26:08,519 1339, according to Iranian calender. 242 00:26:09,559 --> 00:26:12,400 Eighteen years before the revolution. 243 00:26:25,880 --> 00:26:27,279 Is it okay if I film? 244 00:26:28,119 --> 00:26:31,920 - I want to post it live, is it okay? - You mean live on instagram? 245 00:26:34,799 --> 00:26:36,799 Yes, thank you very much. 246 00:26:40,640 --> 00:26:45,100 Play on. Let's see what words of love have to say. 247 00:27:07,839 --> 00:27:09,960 Tie it well. 248 00:27:10,880 --> 00:27:14,559 - Climb up! - He wants me to climb up! 249 00:27:14,880 --> 00:27:17,680 - Hold this branch so I can climb up. - Wait a second. 250 00:27:19,680 --> 00:27:21,000 Hurry! 251 00:27:22,759 --> 00:27:24,680 Give it to me. 252 00:27:39,359 --> 00:27:42,480 You don't know what it is like to have an athlete's body. 253 00:27:42,599 --> 00:27:44,440 Can you lift 18 kilos with only one hand? 254 00:27:44,680 --> 00:27:46,559 Yes. More than that. 255 00:27:59,880 --> 00:28:07,880 The branch is like a bow and you'll be thrown like an arrow. 256 00:28:08,599 --> 00:28:09,759 No way! 257 00:28:29,000 --> 00:28:33,079 All my friend Majdy wanted was to play his music in peace 258 00:28:33,319 --> 00:28:37,559 but once again the accidental censors of the city got in our way. 259 00:28:39,720 --> 00:28:44,240 As we left Forough's grave, we saw black flags hanging in the streets 260 00:28:44,359 --> 00:28:47,119 marking the death anniversary of the Sixth Imam. 261 00:28:48,599 --> 00:28:53,279 The air felt heavy as I prepared to meet Panahi that afternoon. 262 00:29:02,279 --> 00:29:10,279 My early films featured children but were not made for children. 263 00:29:14,640 --> 00:29:20,319 I tried to tell the problems of adults through them. 264 00:29:22,839 --> 00:29:29,240 I started in that way, I made White Balloon and it worked well 265 00:29:29,359 --> 00:29:35,759 but soon after the film Mirror , I stopped working with children 266 00:29:35,880 --> 00:29:41,680 and started making films the way I wanted to. 267 00:29:42,359 --> 00:29:50,359 Soon I made The Circle. There after my problems began. 268 00:29:51,799 --> 00:29:56,359 They banned The Circle, and didn't allow me to show it in Iran. 269 00:29:56,599 --> 00:29:59,960 They treated it harshly. 270 00:30:00,519 --> 00:30:08,519 After that all my films were banned from Iran. 271 00:30:14,039 --> 00:30:22,039 You know, even after all this trouble... 272 00:30:23,359 --> 00:30:28,880 I never considered myself to be a political person 273 00:30:31,440 --> 00:30:35,380 I thought of myself as an artist 274 00:30:35,400 --> 00:30:39,960 but I couldn't ignore the political situation in my country. 275 00:30:40,160 --> 00:30:44,960 I mean when three million people come out to protest in the streets 276 00:30:45,960 --> 00:30:51,680 I can't close my eyes and say it's not my problem. 277 00:30:52,400 --> 00:30:58,240 It becomes my problem even if I am not a political person 278 00:31:00,000 --> 00:31:04,759 I must react to it. 279 00:31:05,759 --> 00:31:09,400 What is a political cinema? 280 00:31:09,599 --> 00:31:15,159 In Iran, political cinema is considered propaganda. 281 00:31:15,160 --> 00:31:21,838 It tells you which side is better or which person is better 282 00:31:21,839 --> 00:31:29,599 on the basis of... 283 00:31:46,880 --> 00:31:54,880 The court sentence imposed on me stated I couldn't make films for 20 years 284 00:31:55,720 --> 00:32:03,720 or write scripts, or leave the country, or give interviews. 285 00:32:05,279 --> 00:32:08,199 In addition to that I'd have to go to jail for 6 years. 286 00:32:08,200 --> 00:32:13,999 But because of the huge support I received from around the world 287 00:32:14,000 --> 00:32:17,559 they could not keep me in prison for long. 288 00:32:20,270 --> 00:32:23,700 I was told, "They gave you such a harsh sentence so you are forced to escape. 289 00:32:24,060 --> 00:32:25,550 "What will you do?" 290 00:32:26,400 --> 00:32:31,799 I thought why should I escape? This is my country. I like my country. 291 00:32:31,920 --> 00:32:39,920 I don't want to lose my country and wander around the world for no reason. 292 00:32:42,400 --> 00:32:50,400 They thought I'd run away or stay here unable to work 293 00:32:53,799 --> 00:32:55,640 and everything would be finished. 294 00:32:55,720 --> 00:32:59,038 When you can't make films, you get depressed. 295 00:32:59,420 --> 00:33:01,630 For a year I sank into depression. 296 00:33:01,640 --> 00:33:06,279 - What's afsordegi? - To fall sick. 297 00:33:06,960 --> 00:33:12,440 The situation led me to the verge of suicide. 298 00:33:12,640 --> 00:33:17,559 I thought, "Without work, what's the meaning of my life?" 299 00:33:18,279 --> 00:33:24,159 I remember one night I went to the sea to kill myself 300 00:33:24,160 --> 00:33:28,200 but the heavy waves of the sea rejected me. 301 00:33:28,519 --> 00:33:33,518 The moment I reached the sea, the one you see in my film... 302 00:33:33,519 --> 00:33:36,839 - In Closed Curtain. - Yes. 303 00:33:45,000 --> 00:33:49,039 I went deep inside for about two or three kilometers 304 00:33:49,480 --> 00:33:52,960 but rushed out crying. 305 00:33:53,039 --> 00:33:56,758 That night I decided no matter what happens, 306 00:33:56,759 --> 00:34:00,240 I will find a way out to make films. 307 00:34:04,400 --> 00:34:09,420 Kiss me 308 00:34:11,070 --> 00:34:14,700 Kiss me 309 00:34:16,199 --> 00:34:20,440 For one last time 310 00:34:23,119 --> 00:34:27,960 Farewell, may God keep you safe 311 00:34:29,710 --> 00:34:35,740 For I am going toward my destiny 312 00:34:36,000 --> 00:34:37,760 Ah Sree! 313 00:34:39,679 --> 00:34:42,199 You missed it. 314 00:34:51,320 --> 00:34:52,680 Do you want see this? 315 00:34:53,280 --> 00:34:54,280 What is happening? 316 00:35:04,840 --> 00:35:10,920 It was the World Cup of 2018 and Iran was playing against Spain that night. 317 00:35:13,159 --> 00:35:18,000 My friends wanted to watch the match at a mall nearby with everyone else. 318 00:35:22,960 --> 00:35:25,100 The brewing excitement everywhere 319 00:35:25,180 --> 00:35:29,100 brought alive scenes from the film Panahi had made years ago 320 00:35:29,220 --> 00:35:34,760 on how Iranian women were banned from watching football matches with men in stadiums. 321 00:36:09,119 --> 00:36:10,960 That night, before my eyes 322 00:36:11,550 --> 00:36:14,980 I saw malls, cinema halls, cafes 323 00:36:15,080 --> 00:36:19,150 and the streets of Tehran, transform into live stadiums 324 00:36:19,559 --> 00:36:24,039 where women stole their moment of freedom, alongside men. 325 00:37:20,159 --> 00:37:22,719 I came here seeking the stories of filmmakers 326 00:37:23,400 --> 00:37:28,280 but cinema opened a window through which I entered an unexpected world. 327 00:37:29,159 --> 00:37:32,079 - Don't you want a selfie with me? - Absolutely! 328 00:37:32,599 --> 00:37:37,119 Come let's take a selfie together. We must both have it. 329 00:37:44,280 --> 00:37:49,519 - Where did you get your nose operation from? - From Ahvaz. 330 00:37:50,079 --> 00:37:53,119 Will it be prettier now? 331 00:37:54,599 --> 00:37:57,679 - Only God can tell. - Did you feel pain? 332 00:37:57,800 --> 00:37:59,920 Yes, a lot. 333 00:38:03,920 --> 00:38:05,280 Searching for birds? 334 00:38:08,760 --> 00:38:16,760 As I got older some people started telling me to have my nose operated on. 335 00:38:16,840 --> 00:38:21,030 They said that would make me look beautiful. 336 00:38:21,670 --> 00:38:26,380 Sometimes in the bus or the metro 337 00:38:26,740 --> 00:38:30,860 a woman would push a card into my hand saying, 338 00:38:30,940 --> 00:38:34,180 "This surgeon fixed my nose, you must go to him too!" 339 00:38:35,199 --> 00:38:42,439 In the beginning I would say, "I don't need a doctor!" 340 00:38:42,440 --> 00:38:47,598 Later it became a joke and I played along saying, "Thank you very much... 341 00:38:47,640 --> 00:38:51,840 "I was indeed looking for a doctor." 342 00:38:55,039 --> 00:38:56,039 That's cute. 343 00:38:57,159 --> 00:39:04,519 Everyone likes it to be a certain kind. I didn't want it to be obvious. 344 00:39:04,840 --> 00:39:12,840 We see so many operated noses, it's easy to tell which is natural and which is not. 345 00:39:13,280 --> 00:39:18,879 A lot of people like to have a nose like Barbie, upturned and small. 346 00:39:18,880 --> 00:39:21,000 I didn't want mine to be like that. 347 00:39:27,039 --> 00:39:31,400 A friend once told me Iran is the Mecca of nose jobs. 348 00:39:34,880 --> 00:39:37,400 In a world where women's bodies are erased, 349 00:39:37,840 --> 00:39:42,639 sculpting a flawless face seemed to be the path to perfect beauty. 350 00:39:50,760 --> 00:39:58,079 There were times I wished I had a more normal nose 351 00:39:58,480 --> 00:40:01,679 in the way the society defines it 352 00:40:03,079 --> 00:40:07,078 so I would not have to hear so many comments about it. 353 00:40:07,140 --> 00:40:10,720 Not to be more beautiful... 354 00:40:12,159 --> 00:40:14,000 that's not important to me... 355 00:40:15,159 --> 00:40:20,119 but at times I wish there were less comments. 356 00:40:26,239 --> 00:40:29,840 Although those comments don't bother me anymore... 357 00:40:31,440 --> 00:40:38,639 they could stop altogether. People should stop making these... comments. 358 00:40:41,159 --> 00:40:46,039 It would have been better that way. It would have been easier. 359 00:40:49,160 --> 00:40:56,460 Do you want to preserve these bones for life? 360 00:40:56,580 --> 00:40:59,840 Yes, no harm in that. 361 00:41:01,920 --> 00:41:08,560 By coincidence, the country that produces the storing solutions for the bones is India. 362 00:41:11,110 --> 00:41:16,520 It says so on this bottle: NaProd manufacturers, India. 363 00:41:19,760 --> 00:41:21,480 Wait, wait let me see it. 364 00:41:52,159 --> 00:41:53,119 What's written there? 365 00:41:53,120 --> 00:41:58,960 It says, "Chastity and hijab are the call of nature... 366 00:42:00,400 --> 00:42:06,760 "and it brings the society to excellence." 367 00:42:11,039 --> 00:42:18,719 The issue is between hijab and mahjoub or modesty. 368 00:42:19,079 --> 00:42:23,038 We believe a person must be modest... like you. 369 00:42:23,060 --> 00:42:28,760 - Self is... - More important than hijab? 370 00:42:29,440 --> 00:42:35,320 Hijab should be within yourself. 371 00:42:35,760 --> 00:42:38,800 Do you mean hijab is within oneself? 372 00:42:39,280 --> 00:42:43,399 - Bravo! - It's an inner state of being. 373 00:42:43,400 --> 00:42:49,399 What does hijab being an inner state of being mean to you? 374 00:42:49,400 --> 00:42:53,559 Hijab in the self signifies what thought? 375 00:42:54,000 --> 00:43:01,558 Means one's desires must be controlled from within. 376 00:43:01,560 --> 00:43:05,678 Covering doesn't make you modest 377 00:43:05,679 --> 00:43:07,198 but controlling your desires does. 378 00:43:07,199 --> 00:43:12,759 Covering externally without an inner understanding makes no sense. 379 00:43:13,160 --> 00:43:20,360 Goodbye! Take care. 380 00:43:35,079 --> 00:43:36,079 What? 381 00:43:38,559 --> 00:43:40,840 Why is your scarf not on your head? 382 00:43:41,670 --> 00:43:44,340 - God! You know what he said? - Yes I know 383 00:43:44,440 --> 00:43:47,540 He is a kid and a hijab police. 384 00:44:05,000 --> 00:44:07,000 Fall down! 385 00:44:09,159 --> 00:44:11,039 She's got a good shot. 386 00:44:15,679 --> 00:44:20,079 Even before I began learning Persian I knew the word 'enghelab'. 387 00:44:20,599 --> 00:44:25,639 In Urdu we called it 'inquilaab', or revolution. 388 00:44:27,320 --> 00:44:29,360 The Enghelab street in Tehran 389 00:44:29,460 --> 00:44:33,110 was a place where one could find uncensored copies of books 390 00:44:33,400 --> 00:44:36,920 and posters of rebels from all across the globe. 391 00:44:39,880 --> 00:44:42,639 I found my copy of Forough's verses here. 392 00:44:44,559 --> 00:44:50,719 Yet, each corner was heavily guarded by both uniformed and plainclothes policemen 393 00:44:51,039 --> 00:44:55,239 who circled the streets, penalising women for improper dress code. 394 00:44:57,239 --> 00:45:03,399 - Tell me what is my crime? - Disturbance of order. 395 00:45:03,400 --> 00:45:05,000 Disturbing the order? 396 00:45:06,679 --> 00:45:12,840 Stop applauding, or you will regret it. 397 00:45:27,239 --> 00:45:31,679 What about human rights? 398 00:45:34,000 --> 00:45:37,840 He broke her leg. 399 00:45:39,440 --> 00:45:46,679 In my opinion what they did was very brave. 400 00:45:47,480 --> 00:45:53,638 I mean, I'm not afraid to take my scarf off in the street 401 00:45:53,639 --> 00:45:56,678 and walk in places where there is no police 402 00:45:56,679 --> 00:46:01,719 but doing it in Enghelab street, the busiest street in Iran, is surprising. 403 00:46:02,239 --> 00:46:07,238 You know very well what a huge risk you are taking. 404 00:46:07,239 --> 00:46:12,440 They will definitely arrest you, just like they arrested many. 405 00:46:15,519 --> 00:46:19,000 But it was full of hope. 406 00:46:20,079 --> 00:46:25,000 What happened to these girls, where are they now? 407 00:46:27,440 --> 00:46:32,079 Most of them got arrested. I think about thirty of them. 408 00:46:32,239 --> 00:46:36,119 Many escaped the police. 409 00:46:37,599 --> 00:46:43,319 You know both bans are like each other. This law that enforces the hijab 410 00:46:43,320 --> 00:46:47,279 and Reza Shah's ban of hijab are the same 411 00:46:47,280 --> 00:46:51,760 as both disrespect the choice of the people. 412 00:46:52,480 --> 00:46:55,638 Because it's all about our choices. 413 00:46:55,639 --> 00:46:58,839 My mother is a person who believes in the hijab 414 00:46:58,840 --> 00:47:01,238 and yet she doesn't agree with mandatory hijab. 415 00:47:01,239 --> 00:47:03,920 Because it is an insult to her choice. 416 00:47:13,000 --> 00:47:21,000 In 2010 around ten agents invaded my house and my office simultaneously. 417 00:47:27,719 --> 00:47:33,919 They searched my belongings and seized my files. 418 00:47:33,920 --> 00:47:41,000 They gave me a notice to introduce myself to prison within three days. 419 00:47:42,079 --> 00:47:50,079 After three days I went to Evin prison and that caused my arrest. 420 00:47:52,039 --> 00:47:55,399 During the time I worked as a lawyer... 421 00:47:55,400 --> 00:48:03,400 I would often see imprisoned women brought to the court for trial in a chador. 422 00:48:04,030 --> 00:48:08,260 Seeing that was offensive for me. 423 00:48:08,679 --> 00:48:16,679 Obviously, I respect my fellow compatriots who choose to wear a chador 424 00:48:19,159 --> 00:48:27,159 but the imposition of the compulsory chador on women inmates, bothered me. 425 00:48:35,559 --> 00:48:43,559 When I was imprisoned later, I had refused the chador. 426 00:48:48,360 --> 00:48:53,359 I told them, "I don't use a chador." They said, "You have to. It's the uniform here." 427 00:48:53,360 --> 00:48:57,198 I protested saying I wasn't obligated to wear the chador. 428 00:48:57,260 --> 00:49:04,240 From then my protest against compulsory chador in prison began. 429 00:49:04,960 --> 00:49:12,960 It took us about a year and a half till... 430 00:49:17,560 --> 00:49:21,000 we were no longer obligated to wear chador inside the prison. 431 00:49:21,280 --> 00:49:23,840 Pickle? 432 00:49:24,360 --> 00:49:32,360 I love cooking but I really love Iranian food and I want to learn how to make it. 433 00:49:36,639 --> 00:49:38,639 I couldn't meet Nasrin again. 434 00:49:39,159 --> 00:49:42,079 She was sentenced to 38 years of prison 435 00:49:42,400 --> 00:49:47,300 for defending the rights of the girls who were arrested for raising their scarves. 436 00:50:06,159 --> 00:50:09,518 Listen everyone... 437 00:50:09,519 --> 00:50:13,638 The world must hear us! 438 00:50:13,639 --> 00:50:17,558 From somewhere, the cry of a woman filled the street. 439 00:50:17,559 --> 00:50:20,919 Standing on a bridge, she was howling in agony. 440 00:50:20,920 --> 00:50:22,839 The signal had turned red, 441 00:50:22,840 --> 00:50:26,119 lines of cars halted in the street below her. 442 00:50:26,960 --> 00:50:28,519 Shameless! 443 00:50:28,639 --> 00:50:31,238 We have martyred our young sons to support you. 444 00:50:31,239 --> 00:50:36,279 Today even Iraqis are protesting against the Islamic Republic. 445 00:50:36,280 --> 00:50:37,839 Shame on you! 446 00:50:37,840 --> 00:50:41,678 As the car moved on, I looked at the walls of Tehran, 447 00:50:41,740 --> 00:50:45,640 decorated with images of dead sons, martyred in war 448 00:50:45,780 --> 00:50:47,000 and grieving mothers. 449 00:51:12,400 --> 00:51:14,360 - Greetings! - To you too. 450 00:51:19,150 --> 00:51:21,660 This place is like a dry tree. 451 00:51:21,740 --> 00:51:25,510 You water it every day with the hope it will turn green... 452 00:51:25,519 --> 00:51:29,400 like the film of Tarkovsky... 453 00:51:29,590 --> 00:51:36,400 the character watered the dried plant with the belief it would turn green... 454 00:51:36,980 --> 00:51:42,440 he thought his belief would turn it green. 455 00:51:42,960 --> 00:51:44,020 But now... 456 00:51:45,040 --> 00:51:54,200 this withered tree has no hope of turning green, 457 00:51:54,800 --> 00:51:56,740 it is better we water... 458 00:51:58,740 --> 00:52:04,420 a live plant which will grow... 459 00:52:04,520 --> 00:52:05,660 in a different place. 460 00:52:14,150 --> 00:52:16,620 Did I speak too much about hopelessness? 461 00:52:30,199 --> 00:52:33,039 - Should we read another verse? - Yes. 462 00:52:39,440 --> 00:52:46,760 "When my trust was suspended from the fragile thread of justice 463 00:52:47,920 --> 00:52:54,880 "And in the whole city they were chopping up my heart's lanterns 464 00:52:56,440 --> 00:52:59,860 "When they would blindfold my innocent eyes 465 00:53:01,520 --> 00:53:05,640 "With the dark handkerchief of Law 466 00:53:07,559 --> 00:53:15,559 "And from my anxious temples of desire fountains of blood would squirt out 467 00:53:17,150 --> 00:53:21,460 "When my life had become nothing 468 00:53:22,040 --> 00:53:27,120 "Nothing but the tick-tock of a clock 469 00:53:28,480 --> 00:53:36,480 "I discovered I must, must, must love insanely" 470 00:53:44,039 --> 00:53:47,079 On the first day of new year in 2016 471 00:53:47,680 --> 00:53:51,160 I sat by the banks of the river Zayandehrood in Esfehan 472 00:53:51,500 --> 00:53:53,000 and took this photograph. 473 00:53:53,920 --> 00:53:56,960 I penned a few lines right after. 474 00:53:57,280 --> 00:53:59,518 I will bring you back the wind 475 00:53:59,519 --> 00:54:04,279 A handful in my pockets, traces in my cheeks 476 00:54:04,280 --> 00:54:07,799 A gust of chill, entrapped in a chador 477 00:54:07,800 --> 00:54:11,759 And a shiver, burning the skin with a memory 478 00:54:11,760 --> 00:54:14,320 I will bring you back that memory 479 00:54:31,719 --> 00:54:34,759 When I visited the same spot three years later 480 00:54:34,760 --> 00:54:36,559 the river had dried up. 481 00:54:45,760 --> 00:54:48,039 People visited the Siosepol bridge 482 00:54:48,400 --> 00:54:51,039 in memory of the once bustling river. 483 00:54:59,039 --> 00:55:01,919 A lot of anger and sorrow filled the air, 484 00:55:01,920 --> 00:55:06,000 when one day, as if by miracle, it started snowing. 485 00:56:05,320 --> 00:56:08,599 This tree is breaking under the load of the snow. 486 00:56:09,039 --> 00:56:11,159 I want to go and save it. 487 00:56:12,599 --> 00:56:16,280 It's a Cedar tree. It should not break under the snow. 488 00:56:17,679 --> 00:56:25,239 Hey I am happy. I am happy because I only live one day. 489 00:56:26,840 --> 00:56:29,920 It's really beautiful. 490 00:56:41,800 --> 00:56:44,038 Hello! How have you been? 491 00:56:44,039 --> 00:56:47,039 Don't kiss me in front of the guard! 492 00:56:51,679 --> 00:56:53,078 Who are you, my lady? 493 00:56:53,079 --> 00:56:58,079 - Aida Mohammadkhani - Who is Aida Mohammadkhani? 494 00:56:59,039 --> 00:57:04,558 The actress in The White Balloon! 495 00:57:04,559 --> 00:57:06,678 Instead of balloon she says kite. Go take a seat. 496 00:57:06,679 --> 00:57:08,279 Take a seat. 497 00:57:08,280 --> 00:57:10,718 How did they let you in? 498 00:57:10,719 --> 00:57:13,038 You are famous, they let you in everywhere. 499 00:57:13,039 --> 00:57:16,320 Look at you complaining so much already! 500 00:57:19,239 --> 00:57:21,039 I really don't remember... 501 00:57:22,039 --> 00:57:24,319 Do you remember how you cried? 502 00:57:24,320 --> 00:57:26,919 I only remember one scene where I cried. 503 00:57:26,980 --> 00:57:28,900 Everytime I had to cry, 504 00:57:28,940 --> 00:57:36,110 it was decided that Mr. Panahi would kneel down on the floor to my level 505 00:57:36,119 --> 00:57:39,880 and look into my eyes... 506 00:57:40,679 --> 00:57:42,199 you also held my arms... 507 00:57:42,800 --> 00:57:47,718 then with a special feeling, he suggested me to cry and I would really cry! 508 00:57:47,719 --> 00:57:49,038 It was unbelievable! 509 00:57:49,100 --> 00:57:50,160 Can you do it now too? 510 00:57:50,360 --> 00:57:51,678 Please please. 511 00:57:51,680 --> 00:57:56,558 - I don't think so... - It's difficult. 512 00:57:56,560 --> 00:58:00,590 - Let's test it once. - It stresses me out. No. 513 00:58:01,599 --> 00:58:02,559 I don't think I can... 514 00:58:02,560 --> 00:58:06,679 See, you're helping her for her film and PhD project. 515 00:58:07,159 --> 00:58:09,879 - It will benefit her research. - I'll try, but I'm not sure I can. 516 00:58:09,880 --> 00:58:12,679 I didn't give any interview in the last two years. 517 00:58:13,039 --> 00:58:17,440 But I agreed since it's for her research project. 518 00:58:19,320 --> 00:58:23,119 It's farfetched to think I can still even do it after twenty one years. 519 00:59:00,639 --> 00:59:03,479 Oh God... 520 00:59:03,480 --> 00:59:06,880 I think I could still be a good actress with Mr. Panahi. 521 00:59:10,039 --> 00:59:14,320 I don't know how this happens to me every time with Mr. Panahi. 522 00:59:20,199 --> 00:59:23,638 Dear Maryam, open your eyes 523 00:59:23,700 --> 00:59:25,600 Call out my name 524 00:59:25,720 --> 00:59:27,750 The morning is here 525 00:59:27,760 --> 00:59:29,919 The sun has risen 526 00:59:29,920 --> 00:59:35,198 It's time to step out to the greens 527 00:59:35,240 --> 00:59:40,070 Oh, lovely Maryam 528 00:59:41,159 --> 00:59:44,678 Dear Maryam, open your eyes 529 00:59:44,720 --> 00:59:46,740 Look at me 530 00:59:46,820 --> 00:59:50,550 Let's step out of our houses 531 00:59:51,039 --> 00:59:55,800 The heart does not know how to deal with grief 532 00:59:56,199 --> 01:00:01,119 Oh, lovely Maryam 533 01:00:02,039 --> 01:00:04,999 Look! It's morning again... 534 01:00:05,000 --> 01:00:06,759 Hold it or there'll be an accident! 535 01:00:06,760 --> 01:00:10,638 I'm still awake! 536 01:00:11,040 --> 01:00:15,230 I wish I was asleep 537 01:00:15,620 --> 01:00:19,870 So I could dream of you 538 01:00:20,120 --> 01:00:22,240 The seeds of this sorrow 539 01:00:22,510 --> 01:00:26,800 Are sprouting within my heart 540 01:00:26,860 --> 01:00:29,080 One by one 541 01:00:29,200 --> 01:00:34,830 The heart does not know how to deal with this grief 542 01:00:34,840 --> 01:00:39,760 Oh, lovely Maryam 543 01:00:43,480 --> 01:00:46,678 Hello. How are you? 544 01:00:46,679 --> 01:00:48,839 - What is this? - Album 545 01:00:48,840 --> 01:00:51,120 Hello Mina, hope you are well. 546 01:00:51,199 --> 01:00:53,719 Come, please take a seat. 547 01:00:54,519 --> 01:00:55,719 Shall I go in first? 548 01:01:00,199 --> 01:01:03,599 I hope you didn't wait too long. 549 01:01:03,760 --> 01:01:05,719 I just got here. 550 01:01:06,480 --> 01:01:09,719 This is our album of memories. 551 01:01:09,920 --> 01:01:13,760 Let's talk about this, it's an important memory. Remember this lady? 552 01:01:13,820 --> 01:01:17,030 - Not sure. - She was your nurse. 553 01:01:17,039 --> 01:01:17,920 Yes, you are right. 554 01:01:18,340 --> 01:01:21,350 Do you want to share what happened with her? 555 01:01:21,360 --> 01:01:24,759 Not at all, forget about it! This shouldn't be in the film! 556 01:01:24,760 --> 01:01:30,638 Come on! Rest assured that lady won't watch this film. 557 01:01:30,639 --> 01:01:33,800 Film? Are you filming us now? 558 01:01:35,000 --> 01:01:36,320 She wasn't supposed to film us! 559 01:01:38,000 --> 01:01:42,960 I'm not going to act in this film! I didn't agree on this! Not at all! 560 01:01:44,679 --> 01:01:46,199 I'm not going to act, no way! 561 01:01:47,639 --> 01:01:48,719 She's angry. 562 01:01:49,639 --> 01:01:52,279 I'm not going to act in this film. Get up, let's leave Aida. 563 01:01:52,280 --> 01:01:55,039 - Mirror by Jafar Panahi!! - Absolutely, Perfect! 564 01:01:57,360 --> 01:01:59,959 - She got it. - Bravo! 565 01:01:59,960 --> 01:02:02,440 You girls are so saucy! 566 01:02:06,559 --> 01:02:10,799 This is the photo of Mina with Jafar Panahi that I'll forever be jealous of. 567 01:02:10,800 --> 01:02:15,518 She's looks so smart behind the camera and Panahi looks at her. 568 01:02:15,519 --> 01:02:17,480 I don't have a similar photograph with him. 569 01:02:20,440 --> 01:02:27,920 This is Mina with the prosthetic cast over hand. 570 01:02:31,840 --> 01:02:36,759 This is the place where Jafar Panahi asked me to sit and cry. 571 01:02:36,760 --> 01:02:39,999 - On these stairs. - Yes, the scene was filmed here. 572 01:02:40,000 --> 01:02:41,599 What memories! 573 01:02:42,360 --> 01:02:46,000 We had lots of stress at work today 574 01:02:46,820 --> 01:02:54,820 but I finished everything in time so that I could come here. 575 01:02:57,039 --> 01:03:02,519 No wonder you're in formals. You were so jealous because I wore bright colours. 576 01:03:03,079 --> 01:03:08,118 I wore it because Sreemoyee likes this dress. 577 01:03:08,160 --> 01:03:11,150 She asked me to wear this, so I happily agreed. 578 01:03:11,240 --> 01:03:15,710 It's so evident where you've come from by your clothes. 579 01:03:16,360 --> 01:03:21,840 We've been protesting for a month so they would relax restrictions on our clothes. 580 01:03:22,039 --> 01:03:27,839 Had this been earlier, I'd have to come in formal Islamic uniform. 581 01:03:27,900 --> 01:03:32,900 - It's a lot better now. - It's great that they allowed this. 582 01:03:32,980 --> 01:03:34,870 Yes, but after a month of protesting! 583 01:03:34,880 --> 01:03:38,718 - You mean all the women? - Yes, fifteen of us got together 584 01:03:38,719 --> 01:03:46,359 and questioned why men had no uniforms but we had to wear them, 585 01:03:46,360 --> 01:03:51,558 why they were exempt from wearing coats but we had to wear the scarfs. 586 01:03:51,559 --> 01:03:56,678 We gave it our best, and finally the rule was scrapped. 587 01:03:56,679 --> 01:04:03,399 How was it before that? 588 01:04:03,400 --> 01:04:07,879 It was traditional, formal uniforms for us. 589 01:04:07,880 --> 01:04:15,880 The same uniform for everyone. We looked exactly like the other. 590 01:04:16,199 --> 01:04:19,839 The same coats, pants and the formal headscarf. 591 01:04:19,920 --> 01:04:21,580 We wore that for two years, 592 01:04:21,640 --> 01:04:27,520 and then finally we began protesting so much that they finally had to give in. 593 01:04:28,000 --> 01:04:30,220 - Congratulations! - We won this battle! 594 01:04:39,280 --> 01:04:43,399 Forough died in a car accident fifty three years ago. 595 01:04:43,500 --> 01:04:44,840 She was 32. 596 01:04:45,300 --> 01:04:50,590 On her death anniversary, we decided to get her flowers and sit by her side. 597 01:04:53,079 --> 01:04:55,159 It was the day before Valentine's Day. 598 01:04:55,920 --> 01:04:58,800 Street vendors stopped our car with teddy bears 599 01:04:59,199 --> 01:05:00,599 and heart shaped balloons. 600 01:05:03,440 --> 01:05:05,320 I was only looking for some flowers. 601 01:05:49,440 --> 01:05:52,799 At her grave, someone was trying to light a candle 602 01:05:52,800 --> 01:05:54,599 which was being blown off by the winds. 603 01:05:55,480 --> 01:05:59,078 The sound of the evergreen trees swishing madly 604 01:05:59,160 --> 01:06:03,320 suddenly resembled the sound of waves breaking into a shore. 605 01:06:06,119 --> 01:06:08,119 It felt like she was around. 606 01:06:27,280 --> 01:06:28,719 Go forward. 607 01:06:29,320 --> 01:06:37,320 Hossein move toward the sun. 608 01:06:54,519 --> 01:06:56,960 In my opinion, self-censoring is a disability. 609 01:07:03,480 --> 01:07:11,440 It makes you accept the conditions that you're subjected to. 610 01:07:11,920 --> 01:07:18,320 They'll ask you to live here. 611 01:07:18,639 --> 01:07:25,118 As a kid I'd crawl and play with the sand. 612 01:07:25,119 --> 01:07:32,198 When I grew taller, I'd have to bend this way. 613 01:07:32,199 --> 01:07:38,479 Meaning I'd have to adapt according to the limitations they've deemed fit for me. 614 01:07:38,480 --> 01:07:42,519 But if you just move out just a little bit, you'd reach the sea. 615 01:08:10,119 --> 01:08:15,518 - Where do you have to go after this? - Siateer. 616 01:08:15,519 --> 01:08:20,278 But I could get off at a metro or bus station nearby. 617 01:08:20,300 --> 01:08:22,400 You won't get any metro or bus stop here. 618 01:08:22,960 --> 01:08:24,920 Where is this place? 619 01:08:26,199 --> 01:08:27,600 This is... 620 01:08:31,439 --> 01:08:32,600 That's Evin. 621 01:08:34,359 --> 01:08:39,319 This building is Hotel Evin but the Evin prison is behind it. 622 01:08:39,560 --> 01:08:41,079 They kept me there for a while. 623 01:09:05,880 --> 01:09:09,520 I have often wondered why I sing a lot more in Iran 624 01:09:09,920 --> 01:09:14,039 and why my hands keep reaching out for my falling scarf. 625 01:09:23,680 --> 01:09:27,640 On my last day in the city I picked up a dried leaf from the street 626 01:09:28,359 --> 01:09:33,079 to imprint the memory of the majestic Chenar trees lining Tehran. 627 01:09:37,560 --> 01:09:39,279 A lot remains unfinished. 628 01:09:42,920 --> 01:09:44,279 On my way back home 629 01:09:44,600 --> 01:09:48,640 my mind was flooded with images of faces known and unknown. 630 01:10:13,520 --> 01:10:19,560 Yet the memory of an afternoon, spent among school girls, lingered on. 631 01:10:21,030 --> 01:10:23,380 I am bringing home that memory. 632 01:10:30,359 --> 01:10:32,520 Fix your scarves. Everyone! 633 01:10:34,760 --> 01:10:37,640 No one is coming to woo you here. 634 01:10:39,399 --> 01:10:42,880 When it's time for your marriage, I'll tell you how to show yourself. 635 01:10:45,039 --> 01:10:46,799 She's going to sing a song by Aref for you girls. 636 01:10:46,800 --> 01:10:50,039 Be quiet and please don't sing along. 637 01:10:51,359 --> 01:10:55,999 The heart says it wants to leave 638 01:10:56,000 --> 01:11:01,278 The heart also says it wants to stay 639 01:11:01,279 --> 01:11:06,278 The heart cannot do without you 640 01:11:06,279 --> 01:11:10,039 It doesn't know what to do without you 641 01:11:11,960 --> 01:11:16,318 Before love, so beautiful 642 01:11:16,319 --> 01:11:21,639 The world seems so tiny 643 01:11:21,640 --> 01:11:26,559 I wander everywhere with your memory 644 01:11:26,560 --> 01:11:30,639 So I keep you within 645 01:11:30,640 --> 01:11:35,759 You, the king of my heart 646 01:11:35,760 --> 01:11:41,158 Have broken all the doors to reach the soul 647 01:11:41,220 --> 01:11:46,470 You tied a knot of companionship to be my lover 648 01:11:46,480 --> 01:11:49,840 You reside within me 649 01:11:51,920 --> 01:11:56,799 Even if you're far away from me 650 01:11:56,800 --> 01:12:02,100 I will not be with another 651 01:12:02,240 --> 01:12:07,590 My heart is full with dreams and desire 652 01:12:07,600 --> 01:12:10,960 O beautiful friend 653 01:12:15,920 --> 01:12:17,720 Calm down, calm down.