Deconstructing Stereotypes in Film through Women’s Voices

Women’s Voices: Lifting the Veil of Confusion aims to identify and deconstruct the stereotypes and misconceptions about Iranian women, while opening discussions of cultural competency. This Hub residency spotlights the work of Rakhshan Banietemad and introduces a new filmmaker, Elaheh Esmaili. These two groundbreaking Iranian filmmakers' films explore the complexities of women’s histories, lived experiences, and the ongoing struggles of the Iranian diaspora.

Though rooted in Iranian culture, the stories told are undeniably universal—part of a centuries-long narrative of womanhood across borders and generations. Recognizing the power of film to shift perspectives, Women’s Voices aims to create a platform for dialogue and understanding that bridges divides.

Project founder Sima Shahriar shares more about the inspiration behind the initiative, its urgent relevance, and her hopes for the future.

What was the origin of this project?

My original project was to have four or five small gatherings to show these films and have conversations. But after a month of dealing with the distributors, I decided instead to focus on a larger event featuring two specific filmmakers: Rakhshān Banietemad and Elaheh Esmaili. 

Ms. Banietemad has spent about five decades making films. Her films put a mirror up to her country and her people and say, “Here's all these people in our country whose voices we don't hear. As witnesses to the inequity and cultural restrictions that prevent us from evolving, what are we going to do about it?” She has dedicated her life to standing up for people whose rights have been stolen from them. It seemed everything lined up to have her films be a part of this event. 

Ms. Esmaili has a short documentary centered around her choice to cover her hair. Her film dives into the cultural effects and responses of that choice in the aftermath of the violent killing of Mahsa (Jhina) Amini and the Woman Life Freedom movement. I'm showing her work because I think she is continuing the work that Banietemad started for a whole new generation. I felt their films need to be seen by more people, though they focus on people whose voices we usually don't hear or whose faces we usually don't see.

Why do you feel this is a necessary project to have and promote?

Movies are powerful ways to tell a story. When I went to Iran seven years ago, after not being there for 24 years, I had no intention of focusing on movies made in Iran. Growing up in America when there were only five news channels, I would always hear perspectives from men and women of European heritage representing my people. They would say, “We already know who you are, so we will explain to you who you are.”

As a young girl, I used to think, “Where are my people?” Over the years the question became, “What are you going to do about it?” It just hadn’t moved me until I saw another filmmaker’s films, Ida Panahandeh, when I realized there's a narrative I want to share with people here in Minneapolis. I want to shine the light on the stories that she wants to tell, not the stories that are made up here, the stolen narratives of my elders that have been taken and misrepresented. While I wasn’t able to bring Ida’s films this time, I am delighted I came across Banietemad’s work through studying Ida’s films.

I've now seen so many powerful stories that can give insight into my culture by so many filmmakers that are new to me. To understand cultures, you need multiple stories. You must avoid painting a whole culture by one brush stroke. There are more voices out there that are leading and saying, “Here’s my story, here’s my perspective.  I want to do my part in giving you a little bit of insight in what I know.”
 

What is this project’s ultimate goal?

To empower a community with knowledge that equips members to ask more articulate and thoughtful questions and, when prompted with the notion that an entire nation and its people are either good or bad, to think more critically and dig a little deeper. 

Through our viewings, raising questions, and open-minded discussions, I want to ignite a love of cultural curiosity and empower this group to spread kindness and understanding through both prior and newly-acquired knowledge and personal insights that they discover. When we dig into our own history and understand the struggles and the fears inherited from our past, then we can deconstruct the generational fear which divides us. It is on us to change this divisiveness and promote understanding and healing.

How did you bring this project to The Hub?

I have been collaborating with another group called Voice to Vision [which previously received a Hub residency] for two years, and worked with David Feinberg [the founder of Voice to Vision] for about ten years. Community building and learning the language of community building is so big for me. When we moved the project to The Hub, I thought this is the place for me to collaborate and bring people together. Right now, we don’t know how to collaborate. That is what is missing in this country, but that is exactly what I'm interested in. I’ve been studying this with another group called Cultural Wellness Center. They have been building community for over 30 years. While I think The Hub has ways to go, I also think they’re onto something very important.

What are the next steps?

One of the most important pieces of knowledge that I've learned from Cultural Wellness Center is that the process is the product. Writing this grant, connecting with people, I've made some amazing connections with leadership at the Guthrie, at Institute of Art, at MCAD, at the University of Minnesota, and at my art building. 

The people whom I'm connected with, and all these small conversations, have been the product for me. So whatever happens at the event, so much has already come to fruition for me. I know the event will be amazing. But what I've learned is that these one on one connections, really deep, honest conversations, is what I'm after, and that's what people are all hungry for, and that's what we have I have to stay committed to. 

My project is focused on bringing people from all walks of life together with the collaboration of librarians, community education experts, leaders at Anam Cara and Cultural Wellness Center and their respective communities, voices from the academy, and media resources. Establishing a link between Cultural Wellness Center, Anam Cara, and my Iranian Women's group with the University of Minnesota will both shed light on hard-working communities in our city and connect participants from various organizations with different backgrounds but similar ideals to one another. 

Weaving together the wealth of works from these different sources will foster equity and reciprocity, as discussions develop further through our viewings and members of these organizations begin to assist one another in the development of their own ideas, projects, and community engagement programs.

This story was written by Zayna Amanat, an undergraduate student in CLA.