Vishka Asayesh, Narges Mohammadi, and Nasrin Sotoudeh in Conversation with the Director of the Film 'Seven Days'

The film 'Seven Days', which has a theme about an imprisoned Iranian human rights activist woman and is inspired by the lives of figures like Narges Mohammadi and Nasrin Sotoudeh, was screened for the first time at the Toronto Film Festival in late September 2024. This film is based on a screenplay by Mohammad Rasoulof, a renowned filmmaker opposed to the Iranian government, and features Vishka Asayesh, a well-known actress in Iranian cinema, theater, and television, who plays the role of Maryam, a political prisoner, without the mandatory hijab for the first time. After six years, she gets a seven-day medical leave from prison and must decide whether to use this opportunity to join her family abroad or return to prison to continue her fight for equality and democracy. Ali Samadi Ahadi, the director of this film, has been active in the mainstream cinema of Germany for many years. He has made films such as 'Hello Goodbye' and 'Green Wave' and has participated in the production of films like 'Tehran, Taboo' and 'Tomorrow We Are Free'. In an interview with 'Sahneh' of Radio Farda, Mr. Samadi Ahadi provided explanations about the production process, the theme, and the perspective of the film 'Seven Days', as well as the process of selecting Vishka Asayesh and collaborating with her. Vishka Asayesh, Narges Mohammadi, and Nasrin Sotoudeh from the perspective of the director of the film 'Seven Days' from Radio Farda. You are more known to Iranian viewers for the documentary you made about the Green Movement and the film 'Tehran, Taboo'. Can you tell us more about your activities? I have been in Germany since I was 12 and started filmmaking at 17. I have been making films for about 34-35 years now. Since I came to Germany at 12, I see myself more as a German filmmaker than an Iranian one. I spent the first ten years of my professional career working in Africa. I made several films in South Africa, Uganda, and Zimbabwe. The last one, which was the most successful, was 'Lost Children', about Ugandan child soldiers who had to fight for a rebel group. That year, it won the best documentary film award in Germany and was nominated for an Emmy. It was on the initial Oscar list. After that, I made a comedy film that perhaps Iranian compatriots know called 'Hello Goodbye', about an Iranian-origin family living in West Germany and an East German family, both of whom lost their homeland in a way, and I portrayed their limbo comically. That year, it was among the successful films in Germany, and then the film 'Green Wave', about the 2009 elections, was part of the Sundance competition and was screened in over 66 countries and broadcast on television in over 90 countries. In 2015, I was diagnosed with leukemia. It somewhat limited my capabilities, and I started working on animation and studio films. Most of the films I made in these 12 years were for the mainstream and market, and for children. My last work, which has also been dubbed in Persian, is called 'Goal: Us', which was the second successful film in Germany two years ago. I am also one of the producers of 'Tehran Taboo' and 'Tomorrow We Are Free'. This was a summary of my background. How did the production of the film 'Seven Days' come about? When did you receive this screenplay? Were you in contact with Mr. Rasoulof to know that he had written such a screenplay or had such a theme in mind? I had known Mr. Rasoulof from afar for several years. When he briefly stayed in Hamburg, we became more acquainted. After he returned to Iran and the problems related to his passport being confiscated and various prisons occurred, we had limited contact from time to time during that period. When the 'Women, Life, Freedom' movement emerged and its repercussions for cinema colleagues inside led to a restriction of their working space, it created a situation similar to that during the documentary film 'Green Wave'. At that time, when I felt my colleagues in Iran could not raise their voices, I felt I had to be their voice. I read the screenplay of 'Seven Days' two years before its production because I was part of the Hamburg Film Fund jury and was familiar with the project. I knew that Mr. Rasoulof himself wanted to make this screenplay. At that time, we supported this project, and I really liked it. However, the project was not made. Later, in a conversation with a mutual acquaintance, I inquired about Mr. Rasoulof's situation in Iran when he was still in prison. After his release, he called me and during our conversation, he asked if I wanted to make that screenplay myself. To be honest, my life had turned upside down after being diagnosed with leukemia. Making such a screenplay was a huge decision for myself and my family because the project was structurally very heavy. The screenplay takes place in a mountainous area at an altitude of three thousand meters with a multitude of night scenes. It was not a job for someone who was taking a handful of pills every day. But after a brief consultation with my family, I agreed. I accepted the project in August, and six months later, the film was completed. We did all the work, from securing funding to casting and locations, in this short period. We also edited simultaneously with filming. Ali Samadi Ahadi says the first scene we filmed was one where Vishka Asayesh is alone in a room waiting with her hair down. For the first time in her life, she put her hand in her hair in front of the camera. At that moment, I think my assistant, myself, and all the Iranians present were crying. How did you become interested in this theme? You mentioned that you have been in Germany since you were 12, and the theme of the film 'Seven Days' revolves around individuals involved inside Iran. How did this duality of individuals regarding leaving Iran and staying engage you to definitely make it? Iranians inside and outside are two sides of the same coin. The same conflict and duality that you mention exists for Iranians inside and outside as well. Especially the 'Women, Life, Freedom' movement has intensified and broadened this duality in the Iranian diaspora community. Should I stay or return? What should I do here? What can I do if I go there? What is my duty outside the country? What can I do if I return? These are questions that have engaged many people, not only in Iran but also abroad. These questions also engaged me. In 2009, when I made the film 'Green Wave', it was very clear to me that I would never see my parents again. And that’s what happened. My parents passed away, and I couldn’t say goodbye to them. Not only I but my daughter, who was seven years old at the time and loved her grandparents and Iran, also could not do so. She lost both her family and her homeland. And this conflict that was in the mind of a seven-year-old girl and that anger and frustration that she could not see her second homeland entered our family. At that time, she would tell me, 'What right did you have to decide for me? You should have asked me if I wanted this or not.' The same duality that you see in the film, Maryam has with her children, I had almost exactly the same argument in my own family. And I think I am not alone in this regard. Many of us Iranians abroad have felt it. You mentioned that the production process of the film went very quickly. How did you film the scenes related to Iran? Were the parts related to Turkey also filmed in that country? We filmed parts in Georgia, parts in Turkey, and parts in Germany. Our effort was that when the audience watches the film, they should not get caught up in whether these scenes are Iran or not. We worked hard on this issue. We have colleagues in this project who came from inside Iran and other parts of the world and helped us. We had colleagues from all over Europe. They helped us portray a contemporary Iran in the film. The most significant problem that films produced outside Iran with themes related to Iran face is this reconstruction of a believable inside Iran, which I think has become believable for the viewer in your film. This is a noteworthy point. If we were able to create a believable Iran, it is because my colleagues put in a lot of effort. We did not have a large budget, and if this project did not have so many passionate parents, it would not have reached this point. On the filming set, we spoke in seven languages. Interestingly, with such linguistic diversity, everyone involved in the film's story was engaged. My cameraman, who was German, cried during some scenes on set. Even though he did not understand a word of Persian, he was so engaged in the story that he cried, and you can see the result of his work. All the crew felt the same way, including our set designer, whose name we do not mention in the credits because he is someone who travels to and from Iran. In my opinion, the result of all my colleagues' work is a film that is unique within its framework. The presence of the crew of the film 'Seven Days' at the Toronto International Film Festival / Photo: Pouria Afkhami. How did you choose Vishka Asayesh, and how did she agree to collaborate in this film, considering that she had previously been active in the official cinema, television, and theater inside Iran? We had been trying for a long time to have one of the good and powerful Iranian actresses for this project. As you saw, it is a very heavy role. It requires a lot of physical strength and also acting. The main part of the film rests on the shoulders of the lead role, Maryam. We searched extensively to select someone who could also come abroad and have permission to leave. You know that many actresses have been banned from leaving by the government. In our searches, I heard from a friend that Vishka Asayesh had come abroad. When we heard this, we contacted her. She read the screenplay, and then we got acquainted. Thus, we began this journey together. And yes, it was certainly a very big decision for Ms. Asayesh to take on this role. Apart from what it means for her in Iran, she was fully aware of playing this character, a character that many value. Maryam is, in fact, a symbol of the Iranian lionesses who have been paying the price for years for fighting for fundamental rights. They may be the most important representatives of Iranian civil society. Playing such a role and performing it was a very heavy responsibility for both Vishka and me. How was it for her to play without a hijab? This is considered Vishka Asayesh's first free and hijab-free performance in the conventional way of films outside Iran. How was your interaction with her as a director and actress? Was it similar to other actresses you had previously collaborated with? Ms. Asayesh is a very professional and experienced colleague. That is one side of the story, but as you mentioned, the situation we were in was such that Ms. Asayesh could act freely for the first time in a way she had never acted before in her life. She has been professionally active for about 30 years, almost as long as I have been making films. In these 33 years, she has never been allowed to freely play a role. With all her capabilities. With her hair. With her neck. With her ears. The first scene we filmed was one where she is alone in a room waiting with her hair down. For the first time in her life, she put her hand in her hair in front of the camera. At that moment, I think my assistant, myself, and all the Iranians present were crying because we saw this powerful colleague of ours could work freely for the first time, and breaking this cage at that moment was very, very moving for us. Did you consult with Mohammad Rasoulof regarding the selection of the actor and other factors? No. In terms of the screenplay and its changes, I tried to coordinate with him. Although Mohammad said that this is now your film, and you should change whatever you like. But I wanted him to know and be satisfied with wherever the screenplay went, and that’s why I consulted with Rasoulof. But regarding other details, due to the circumstances he was in at that time, it was not appropriate to involve him in the details of the production, and also that when you accept directing, you are the director. You see, you have seen the film yourself; you can see that while the screenplay is Mohammad Rasoulof's, its execution is different from Mohammad Rasoulof's. It is natural. The director has his own perspective. In directing the film, it is seen that you somewhat avoid sensationalism despite the hidden capabilities in the story and focus your efforts on the inner conflict of this human rights activist woman with her family, especially in expressing the cost she pays for this separation in the second half of the film. Naturally, when you start to think about how you want to tell this story and better say what the film wants from you as a director, you start to think about what this film wants from you and meet its needs. It is true that the story of the film is a thriller, an exciting story, but essentially the entire audience's engagement is with the situation of the film's main character. That from the very beginning, she is stuck in a dilemma that she remains in until the end. For me, it was more about elevating this dilemma to go to that final point, and we as viewers are engaged in the question of what would I do if I were in her place? What would I do if I were there? A question that I think is not only raised for us Iranians inside and outside the country but also for many others in other places. Right now, the right-wingers are taking over Europe; the question is what those who believe in a democratic society will do in this situation with forces that want to eliminate democracy?