Women Without Men

Germany, Austria, France, 2009

The lives of four Iranian women intertwine against the backdrop of political and social turmoil of summer 1953, when a coup d’état initiated by the USA and the UK brought down the Prime Minister and reinstalled the Shah to power. Fakhri, trapped in a loveless marriage, must contend with her feelings. Zarin, a young prostitute, can no longer see the faces of men. Munis tries to resist the seclusion imposed on her by her religiously traditional brother and to join the demonstrations, while her friend Faezeh remains oblivious to the turmoil in the streets and longs only to marry the domineering brother. As the political protest swells in the streets of Tehran, the four gradually liberate themselves and unite in Fakhri's orchard in the outskirts of the city. But it is only a matter of time before the violent world outside the walls of the mystical orchard seeps through them.

Fiction  | 35 mm  |  99   Minutes  |  Color  |  Farsi, Hebrew & English subtitles

Director: Shirin Neshat
Screenplay: Shirin Neshat, Shoja Azari. Adapted from the novel Women Without Men by Shahrnush Parsipur
Cast: Pegah Ferydoni, Arita Shahrzad, Shabnam Tolouei, Orsi Toth
Cinematography: Martin Gschlacht
Picture Editing: George Cragg, Jay Rabinowitz, Julia Wiedwald, Patrick Lambertz,
Production: Susanne Marian, Martin Gschlacht, Philippe Bober
Festivals: Venice
Source: Essential Filmproduktion, Germany

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