The Human Rights Watch Festival is currently taking place at the Barbican Centre. I was delighted to discover that an Iranian film is going to be featured today, Ava. The piece is directed by Sadaf Foroughi who gives us a coming of age story of a teenage girl. Her life is dictated by the patriarchal community which surrounds her in Tehran, and also by the women in her life. Her mother betrays her one day and this results in Ava feeling obliged to act against the structures put on her by everyone around her, including the norms of the society.
The film has a clear, influential message about women and their power. The film is incredibly impressive visually and gives the main character, a deep, complex woman, the space and ability to find her own voice and express her true self.
The screening will be follwed by a Q&A session with the Foroughu herself, who is an Iranian, Montreal-based filmmaker and writer.
Another Iran 