Film explores forces affecting Muslim women Tuesday, 26 October 2010 03:55

By Fazeena Saleem

DOHA: An understanding of culture and sentiments of the audience is essential though censorship is not acceptable says an Iranian filmmaker.

“I don’t support censorship but the sentiments and culture of the audience should be respected, should know where to draw the line,” said Shirin Neshat, photographer and video artist.

Her critically acclaimed film, Women Without Men, was screened yesterday at Northwestern University in Qatar (NU-Q). The award-winning film, which explores the complex social and religious forces shaping the identity of Muslim women, was viewed by students, staff, and faculty from Education City. This was the second screening of the film in an Arab country.

Shirin, living in New York in exile, said her obsession for her country is influencing her work and it will continue to reflect in her all future creations.

“The unresolved obsession for my country and the affect of living in exile on my personal life will reflect on my work. It’s my right to cope with my anxiety,” she said.

Following the screening, Shoja Azari, Co-director and screen play writer of Women Without Men and Hamid Naficy, Professor of Radio-Television-Film, Northwestern University held a discussion with the audience about the making and background of the film.

Women Without Men is based on Shahrnush Parsipur’s novel Zanan Bedun-e Mardan in Persian, set in Iran in the 1950s, which weaves together the women's lives in complex and enigmatic, into the political reality of a coup.

“The magic realism of the novel was extremely difficult to turn into a screenplay. Also, it was written as a series of five short stories, which followed the lives of five women separately, who in the final chapter converge in a mysterious orchard. We went with four main characters,” Shirin said.

“We went with four main characters and divided them into two realistic characters and two allegorical characters,” she said.

Women Without Men combines together the stories of four Iranian women against the backdrop of the American and British-backed coup that brought down Prime Minister Mossadegh and reinstalled the Shah in 1953. Contrasting the political drama of the time with the complexities of the women’s intimate lives makes for an imaginative and emotional film that engages us on a myriad of levels.

The film opens and ends with one of its allegorical characters Munis, finding freedom, recognition and relief through death. It says, “Now I have silence but nothing.”

“Death is not sad but you think it is.” All of the characters Munis, Zarin, Fakhiri and Faeseh are led to the same metaphorical magic garden, a transcendent, timeless place where they are free to decide their fates.

Shirin is also known for her works Women of Allah (1990), Turbulent (1998) and Rapture (1999).

Her works have been exhibited internationally. Following several short films, Women Without Men is Neshat’s first feature, and has already won a Silver Lion at the Venice Film Festival. Women Without Men is also translated as Aanungal Illatha Pennungal into Malayalam by S A Qudsi and published by Mathrubhumi Books, Calicut, 2005.

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