Archive of films Women´s Prison / Zendan-e Zanan

Iran
2002, 106 min

Section: Another View
Year: 2003

The fates of several women imprisoned for various crimes in a Teheran prison. The story is dominated by the conflict between the rebellious Mitra and the strict prison governor Tahereh.

Synopsis

After unrest breaks out in a Teheran women’s prison, the prison governor Tahereh is forced to introduce harsh repressive methods. She manages to calm the atmosphere down and decides to find an ally among them, the unspoken leader Mitra. Mitra has been given a life sentence for murdering her step-father. Time passes and Tahereh begins to soften. She is more sensitive to the bitter fates of her wards and Mitra makes such an impression on her that she tries to have her pardoned. The action takes place over two decades, during which the relationship between the two women develops from being one of mutual hatred and scorn to one of understanding. The film is based on real events and, via the portraits of the individual women imprisoned for prostitution, drugs and associated crimes, it captures the influence of a repressive society on crime, particularly for women, who are traditionally disadvantaged in Iranian society.

About the director

Manijeh Hekmat (b. 1962) is one of Iran’s most active female directors. She worked on 11 films, first as a continuity girl, then as an assistant director. In the last ten years she has produced five films, among them a German film made in Kurdistan. Women´s Prison is her directorial debut, based on lengthy research which the director carried out in various women´s prisons in Iran.

Contacts

Iranian Independents
P.O. Box 15875-4769, , Tehran
Iran
Tel: +98 912 319 8693
Fax: +98 912 3198693
E-mail: [email protected]
www: www.iranianindependents.com

Bamdad Film & Omid Film
17, Shahid Mazandarani St., 7th of Tir Sq., , Tehran
Iran
Tel: +98 21 830 9538
Fax: +98 21 830 9538
E-mail: [email protected]

Galway Film Fleadh
, , Galway
Ireland
Tel: +353 917 516 55
Fax: +353 917 358 31
E-mail: [email protected]
www: www.galwayfilmfleadh.com

+ 1

About the film

Color, 35 mm

Section:	Another View

Director:	Manijeh Hekmat
Screenplay:	Farid Mostafavi
Dir. of Photography:	Dariush Ayyari
Editor:	Mostafa Kherghe Poush
Producer:	Manijeh Hekmat, Sirous Taslimi
Production:	Bamdad Film & Omid Film
Cast:	Roya Nonahali, Roya Taymourian, Pegah Ahangarani, Golab Adineh, Maryam Boubani
Contact:	Iranian Independents, Bamdad Film & Omid Film, Galway Film Fleadh