Iranian Filmmakers Under Travel Ban Pay Tribute to Women Pioneers of the Protest Movement

The film "My Favorite Cake" by Behtash Sanaeiha and Maryam Maqdami is set to be screened in the main competitive section of the Berlin Film Festival on Friday, February 16, despite the Islamic Republic preventing these two Iranian filmmakers from traveling to Germany. The film, which focuses on the strictures and limitations imposed by the Islamic Republic on Iranian women, has provoked anger from government officials. Behtash Sanaeiha and Maryam Maqdami have been banned from leaving the country on charges such as "propaganda against the regime and actions against national security." The film's press conference at the Berlin Festival was held without the presence of this artistic couple, and the release of images of empty chairs and their joint photo received significant media and social media attention. During the event, Leili Farhadpour and Ismail Moharabi, actors in the film, read a statement on behalf of Behtash Sanaeiha and Maryam Maqdami that deeply affected the attendees. The statement said, "Today, a film that we spent three years making is unfortunately being screened here without our presence. We feel like parents who are even forbidden from looking at their newborn child. We are sad and tired, but we are not alone. This is the magic of cinema; cinema brings us closer together. It opens a window for us that transcends time and space." "My Favorite Cake" was filmed in the early days of the recent protests in Iran, which spread across the country following the death of Mahsa Amini in the custody of the morality police. It is one of the few films since the 1979 revolution and the establishment of the Islamic fundamentalist regime in Iran that depicts female characters in private or at home in a normal manner without mandatory hijab. The story revolves around a 70-year-old woman named Mahin who lives alone but decides to resume her romantic relationships. Her acquaintance with a man turns into an unforgettable and memorable night. Behtash Sanaeiha and Maryam Maqdami, in their statement, noted, "For years, Iranian filmmakers have created their works under complex regulations. This means that red lines must be respected, as crossing them can lead to years of being unable to work and may result in legal cases. This is a painful reality that we have experienced time and again over the years." They added, "In such a dire situation, we continue to strive to depict the reality of Iranian society in our films. This is a reality that is often erased or hidden by layers of censorship." This artistic couple stated, "We have come to believe that we can no longer tell the story of an Iranian woman while adhering to strict regulations such as mandatory hijab. Women whose red lines prevent showing their real lives as complete human beings. We have decided to cross all these red lines and accept the consequences of our decision." According to Behtash Sanaeiha and Maryam Maqdami, they want to portray a true image of Iranian women, an image that "has been banned in Iranian cinema since the Islamic Revolution." They stated, "My Favorite Cake is a film made in praise of life. It tells a story based on a part of the daily lives of many middle-class women in Iran. The film depicts a woman who feels lonely as she ages. This is a reality of the lives of Iranian women that is usually not spoken of, as it contradicts the common image of Iranian women, but it resembles the lives of many lonely individuals in this world, about savoring the sweet moments of life." Behtash Sanaeiha and Maryam Maqdami dedicated the world premiere of their new film at the Berlin Festival to Iranian women who are at the forefront of the "Women, Life, Freedom" protests, sacrificing their lives in the struggle to dismantle the walls of outdated and rigid beliefs in the quest for freedom. They concluded their statement by saying, "We hope that one day we will be able to show this film in our country and for our people. That day will undoubtedly be another day for Iranian cinema and the people of Iran; we hope that this day is not far away." Behtash Sanaeiha and Maryam Maqdami were banned from leaving the country last September while they intended to travel to France to finalize their film's technical aspects, with the Islamic Republic confiscating their passports. There was hope that the government would allow them to travel to Germany for the Berlin Festival, but as of the writing of this article, this artistic couple remains banned from leaving the country. Maryam Maqdami told Agence France-Presse, "Our crime is crossing the red lines that have been banned in Iran for 45 years." Behtash Sanaeiha stated, "Depicting a woman without a hijab is forbidden, but most religious women are also without hijab at home." He further added that "drinking alcohol, dancing, or meeting a partner all happen in Iran, but inside homes because it is prohibited outside. We wanted to depict this reality." Behtash Sanaeiha pointed out that filming coincided with the death of Mahsa Amini, stating that the young girl's death deeply affected them and all members of the crew, but they felt it was their duty to complete the project because it was a work "about women, and about life and freedom." He mentioned that there is a scene in the film where a morality police officer violently arrests a young girl for not covering her hair, and this is a stark reality. The press conference for the film at the Berlin Festival, which is known for supporting independent and protesting filmmakers from Iran, recently issued a statement calling for the lifting of all restrictions imposed by the Islamic Republic against Behtash Sanaeiha and Maryam Maqdami. The statement noted that the Berlinale is a festival that has always been committed to freedom of expression, opinion, and art for all people around the world, expressing that the festival is "shocked and dismayed" by the impossibility of these two Iranian filmmakers traveling to Germany to showcase their film and connect with audiences in Berlin. Somayeh Haqnegahdar, a documentary filmmaker and member of the Independent Filmmakers Association of Iran, expressed regret over the issues faced by this couple and their cinematic colleague to Voice of America, stating, "The Islamic Republic has been trying to control and censor artists, especially filmmakers, for years by exerting pressure on them; this control and censorship has often led to official or unofficial bans on filmmakers, and in some cases, forced filmmakers to leave their country." Ms. Haqnegahdar stated, "Specifically, after the Women, Life, Freedom movement, the Islamic Republic has taken clear and widespread actions to threaten, arrest, and suppress filmmakers who they do not see as aligned with the regime's demands. There has been stricter control over produced works, and the travel bans on many filmmakers continue as part of this control and suppression." Behtash Sanaeiha and Maryam Maqdami's previous film, titled "The White Cow's Elegy," was screened at the Berlin Festival in 2021 and received significant attention. This film has not been granted permission for screening in Iran due to its subject matter and sensitivities surrounding it and has not been shown in the country. Reports from Variety, Deadline, Agence France-Presse, and Voice of America were used in compiling this article.