Dharamshala: The documentary filmmaker Rokhsareh Ghaemmaghami, who brought on screen the life of a spirited young woman – an Afghan illegal immigrant wishing to be a superstar rapper – believes that in Iran, there are restrictions for women but not for filmmakers.
“We’ve had a long tradition of Iranian women making films. Being a filmmaker is difficult in Iran, because of censorship, but not because you’re a woman. There are of course, some restrictions for women, but not for film-making,” says the filmmaker in an exclusive interaction with News18.com, post the screening of her film Sonita at the ongoing Dharamshala International Film Festival.
She’s quick to point out that stories which do the rounds of social media don’t present the real picture of Iran. “It’s much more progressive – the people are, government is not. The government often tries to suppress people.”
Highlighting the presence of women in every field in her country, she says, “65% of university students are women , 25% of Iranian movies are made by women – so that’s a decent ratio.”
Despite the fact that her film has received such brilliant reviews , her documentary Sonita can’t be screened in Iran. “It’s about a female singer – it can’t be screened there. In Iran, people are progressive, the government is not.”
According to her, the major challenge in film-making is the blend of traditions and modernity, not just in Iran but India too. “In the modern days, we aren’t a very productive country. A lot of challenges between modernisation, traditions and finding our own place in the world exist in India and Iran."
Comments
0 comment