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NEWS & LETTERS, December 2001Feminist film reveals 'Hidden Half' in Iran
Since Sept. 11, there has been an upsurge of protests in Iran against the
Islamic Republic. One expression of the new liberatory desires in Iran is the
work of Tahmineh Milani, a feminist filmmaker whose new film THE HIDDEN HALF
landed her in prison on charges of "waging war against God and misusing the
arts in support of counter-revolutionary groups." Milani who is now out on
bail and on tour in the U.S., faces an upcoming trial and a possible death
sentence in Iran.Readers of NEWS & LETTERS are familiar with her previous film TWO WOMEN,
which challenged the Islamic Republic's dehumanization of women (See March 2000
N&L). In her new film, THE HIDDEN HALF, Milani portrays the life of a woman
named Fereshteh, who used to be politically active during the 1979 Revolution,
and has had to bury her identity and aspirations during the past 20 years. Fereshteh's recollection of her past embodies a critique of the Iranian Left
from the vantage point of the Left. Her political activity as a 19-year-old
student in 1979 consists of distributing fliers and newspapers for her party
under extremely dangerous conditions. Her readings are limited to exposes of
U.S. imperialism and Stalinist works on economic determinism. Her intellectual
and emotional curiosity, however, attracts her to an older nationalist
intellectual who encourages her to read widely in philosophy and literature if
she wants to be serious about her goals. Her intellectual idol, however, treats
her in a male chauvinistic and dishonest manner. At one point when she escapes the counter-revolutinary squads and takes
refuge in his office, she is challenged by a woman intellectual and former
political prisoner who is from an earlier generation of political activists.
Fereshteh's party fliers and her generation are critiqued for being superficial. Milani presents her own critique of the Iranian Left for being narrow minded,
ignorant of philosophy and history, and insensitive to women. The careless
practices of leftist organizations which endangered and destroyed the lives of
their members in counter-revolutionary times are also heavily critiqued. It is voices like Milani's which point to a humanist revolutionary direction
for the Middle East. It is critical for us to do whatever we can to support
Milani against Islamic fundamentalist judges who wish to execute her. Sheila Fuller |
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