In this triple bill, films with different storytelling techniques – a monologue, a duologue and a polylogue between Iranian women – examines a range of cinematic encounters of conversing. This event brings together experimental movies which explore the implications of women talking between each other in a home setting, in the diaspora and in public spaces.

Programme

For the Sake of Calmness
Dir. Newsha Tavakolian, Iran 2020, 20 min.
UK PREMIERE

Newsha Tavakolian’s film embarks on a visually stunning journey, drawing inspiration from both real and imagined landscapes. Through the interplay of visuals and a deeply introspective self-narrated monologue, this film transcends boundaries, immersing viewers in a multidimensional exploration. Newsha Tavakolian’s detachment from reality, yet profound emotional connection, is intensified by the raw power of Premenstrual Syndrome (PMS).

Mother’s Apricot Compote
Dir. Nia Ferki, Iran 2020, 23 min.

Nia Fekri’s Mother’s Apricot Compote conjures the ghosts that hover over the day to day lives of these two women. It is a rumination on the experience of the immigrant within and without the diaspora and the ways that personal/familial memory seeps through the surface of everyday life.

The Ladies Room
Dir. Mahnaz Afzali, Iran 2003, 55 min.

Directed by the Iranian actress Mahnaz Afzali and filmed entirely inside a ladies washroom in a public park in Tehran. The Ladies Room portrays frank and intimate conversations between diverse women debating everything from drugs and family abuse, to sex, relationships and religion.