Women Without Men

Melwood Screening Room: May 8 @ 2:30PM 
Andy Warhol Museum: May 15 @ 7:00PM

Passes not accepted on Opening/Closing Night. Please arrive at least 15 minutes ahead of start time to ensure availability of seating. Film schedule and Q & A's are subject to change.

[Film Contains Sexual Content]
2009/France & Iran/Director: Shirin Neshat/97 minutes
Cast: Pegah Ferydoni, Arita Shahrzad, Shabnam Tolouei, Orsi Toth, Navid Akhavan, Bijan Daneshmand
Language: Farsi with English subtitles
Festivals and Awards: Winner, Silver Lion: Venice Film Festival, Spotlight Selection: Sundance Film Festival, Official Selection: Venice Film Festival, Toronto Film Festival & London Film Festival
In the summer of 1953, the United States and Britain sponsored a coup of democratically elected leader of Iran, Mohammed Mossadegh. At this turbulent moment in history, we meet four Persian women, Zarin, Faezeh, Munis and Fakhri. Each of them is a distinct representation of the prescribed roles of women in Iran. And each is a unique individual searching for solace and freedom in the modern surrealist masterpiece, Women without Men.
Munis, (Shabnam Tolouei) is awakened politically and is rapt by radio reports of the turmoil outside her door. This stirs a sense of self and feminism in her even as she is badgered and oppressed in her own home by her hardcore religious brother. Munis’ timid friend Fazeh (Pegah Ferydoni) admires Munis but cannot herself find the courage to join in her rebellion. Rather, the traditional Fazeh is conflicted because she hopes for a marriage proposal from the tyrannical brother.
The interconnected narrative continues with the prostitute Zarin (Orsi Toth), who speaks not a word to a society that uses her flesh but is undeserving of her thoughts. Fakhri (Arita Shahrzad) is a talented singer and intellectual whose loveless marriage to a general has begun to crush her spirit and her song. At the urging of a former lover, Fakhri takes the courageous step to escape. Fakhri creates a refuge in a magical orchard where women come to find peace without men. It is here that the women’s stories converge in a moment of bliss while the political cataclysm in the world of men beats at the door.
Renowned visual artist, Shirin Neshat, presents a visual feast and an emotional wallop from the very first sequence. Adapted from the popular novel by Sharhnush Parsipur (who can be spotted in a cameo), the story loses none of its magical realism in transition to the screen. The film draws a universe of its own with sumptuously surreal visuals and a gorgeous score.