Cannes 2025: Director Saeed Roustaee says, 'in Iran, all filmmakers are under surveillance'
Three years after Leila's Brothers, Saeed Roustaee has returned to the Cannes competition with his fourth feature film, Woman and Child. In the meantime, the feminist uprising "Woman, Life, Freedom" ignited Iran, starting in September 2022. That led to the 35-year-old director being suspected of collusion with those in power, allegations he addressed just minutes after walking the red carpet, on Thursday, May 22.
Does Woman and Child echo the 'Woman, Life, Freedom' movement?
Indirectly, yes. My first feature, Life and a Day (2016), was already centered on a woman. My third film, Leila's Brothers (2022), was as well. But in those films, the women were trying, in one way or another, to save those around them. Here, the heroine is stronger and more independent. She ultimately breaks free from all forms of dependency. She decides on her own whether to seek revenge or to forgive, to give death or life…
Your female characters wear headscarves, even in indoor scenes. How do you respond to those who have accused you of making concessions to the regime?
Since "Woman, Life, Freedom," that question has become even more pressing. The day we filmed at the school, with 700 children and their parents, I was interrogated: They wanted to know what I was filming, why, and how. In Iran, all filmmakers are under surveillance, myself included. Some resist by stopping work altogether. In my case, throwing in the towel would accomplish nothing. People talk a lot about the headscarf, but you have to overcome so many obstacles to make a film. Years ago, if you were caught with a VHS tape, you risked prison. Little by little, the authorities have relaxed their stance on this issue. I hope it will be the same with the headscarf.
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