Talk show: Female Iranian artists in the diaspora
In a panel discussion we ask Iranian filmmakers, artists, academics and activists from the diaspora to talk about current affairs in Iran and the relationship between mythology, social conventions, oppression and the way in which art can be used to resist them. Interspersed with excerpts of the guests’ work. Our guests are:
Nafiss Nia, poet, filmmaker en cultural entrepreneur. Nafiss is also the founder and director of Granate, an organisation striving towards greater cultural inclusivity in film and literature. Her latest film, Die middag, is a big success in Dutch cinemas after rave reviews from film critics.
Dr. Zahra Khosroshahi, film scholar and lecturer at the Department of Film and Television Studies at the University of Glasgow. She conducts research on female activism and resistance in contemporary Iranian cinema. Her book “Iranian Women Filmmakers: A Cinema of Resistance” will be released this year. Her work also explores the role and influence of Iranian cinema on the world stage.
Tina Farifteh, filmmaker, visual artist and photographer. Her exhibition Qoqnoos - You Can’t Burn Women Made of Fire was shown in De Melkweg in 2023. For this expo Farifteh curated works by female artists from Iran and the Iranian diaspora. Her latest film Kitten of vluchteling, an experimental documentary about empathy towards refugees, will premiere at Nederlands Film Festival in 2023.
Ghazaleh Ghobadi, a professional storyteller with a scientific background. Her stories highlight the details of the lives of Iranian women that are generally overlooked from the Western perspective. She alternates these stories with tales from classical Iranian literature. She is one of the storytellers performing this year as part of the collaboration between the Imagine Fantastic Film Festival, Mezrab House of Stories and The Amsterdam Storytelling Festival.
Moderating the conversation is Sahar Shirzad, programme maker, writer and legal expert, specialising in human rights. As the founder of Refugee Millennials, she created a platform for former refugees who have lived in The Netherlands for more than 20 years. She is co-founder of the Afghan Azadi movement and the Azadi collective: a collective of mainly young people from Kurdish, Afghan or Iranian backgrounds who fight together for human rights and freedom.
