زنان سینمای ایران و جنبش زن زندگی آزادی

With the start of nationwide protests following the killing of Mahsa Amini, Taraneh Alidoosti, one of the most famous Iranian female filmmakers, showed her support for the protesters. In the second half of Aban, she published a photo of herself without a hijab holding a paper with the slogan ‘Women’s Freedom’ written in Kurdish. She also criticized the government after the execution of the protesters.

As a result, she was arrested on Azar 26th when security forces raided her house. Her arrest received widespread international attention and she was finally released on bail after about three weeks. Her name had also been put on the government’s list of banned individuals since Mehr month.

The actress, who had gained considerable fame in cinema and television for four decades, especially for her role as Zoleikha in the TV series ‘Youssef, the Prophet’, had taken a break from work and activities. However, in 1401, she became one of the most newsworthy figures of the year.

Ms. Riahi also claimed, simultaneously with the announcement of the screening of the film ‘Leila’s Brothers’ at the Cannes Film Festival, that one of the male actors had sexually harassed her years ago. This statement received various reactions.

From the very first days of its release, Mahsa Amini Golshifteh Farahani used social media to bring the Iranian government’s treatment of women and then protesters to the attention of the world.

The peak of her activities was when she launched a wave of support for Iranian women protesters at the Berlin Film Festival as a member of the jury. In addition to taking a stance at the jury press conference and the Berlinale opening, she helped organize programs in support of Iranian protesters on the red carpet of this important international event.

A few months earlier, she performed a cover of a song for Shirin Hajipour at the concert of the famous rock band Coldplay in Argentina, which received a lot of attention from Iranians.

Another milestone in her activities was in 1401 when she showed her support for Reza Pahlavi, Hamed Esmaeilion, Nazanin Boniadi, and Masih Alinejad in a video message at a Georgetown University session, claiming it was from herself and Ali Karimi. About a month later, this group published a manifesto proposing a way to transition from the Islamic Republic.

Few could have predicted that she would suddenly emerge in the Iranian film industry equations. The new board of directors for the House of Cinema was selected in September 1401, but the start of protests caused the appointment of the CEO to be delayed due to the sensitive situation in the country and the involvement of the House of Cinema in legal and judicial pursuit of detained filmmakers. The chairman of the board of directors of the House of Cinema announced in early winter that he has negotiated with several individuals to take on the position of CEO, but none have accepted.

With the end of the forty-first Fajr Film Festival, which was accompanied by widespread sanctions against filmmakers and famous cinema figures, it seemed that the controversies in the film industry had come to an end. However, in the month of Esfand, suddenly Marzieh Boroumand was introduced as the first woman to be appointed as the CEO of the House of Cinema.

This event is particularly important because Iranian female filmmakers played a prominent role in supporting the protests of 1401, and the appointment of Ms. Boroumand to the most important managerial position in the Iranian film industry can be a response to the social demands of the Iranian people.