The ladies room [electronic resource] / directed by Mahnaz Afzali.

Honolulu, HI : Asia Pacific Films, 2003.

1 online resource (55 min.).

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Filmed in a woman's restroom located in a public park in Iran's metropolitan center of Tehran, this documentary explodes Western stereotyping of women in Iran. The elder who runs the washroom offers a shoulder to cry on or tough love in a place where women, many of them especially marginalized because they are prostitutes, addicts or runaways, feel safe enough to remove their veils, and draw on cigarettes and their opinions on a wide range of subjects that men cannot hear them speaking about: sex, family abuse, relationships, drugs, religion, self-mutilation. The director (and admired actress) supplies the audience with an unflinching, detailed examination of the lives of the women who use the restroom as a gathering place. Mary Kerr, Programming Director of Silverdocs, highly praises the way private conversations establish community: 'Never before have I been so surprised by a film's candor and honesty. The Ladies Room is an amazing testament to Mahnaz Afzali's restraint as a filmmaker as she steps into the background and lets these women, who are second-class citizens in Iran, be themselves - totally unrestrained and surprisingly progressive.' Awards/Festivals: Amsterdam International Documentary Film Festival 2003; Thessaloniki Documentary Festival 2004; Vienna International Film Festival 2004; Adelaide Film Festival 2005.

Original title: Zananeh

Previously released as DVD.

Images / Online / Video & Film

Persian

January 03, 2014

Asian film online