Three Awards for 'Me, Maryam, the Kids, and 26 Others'; Interview with the Film Director

The film 'Me, Maryam, the Kids, and 26 Others' by Iranian filmmaker Farshad Hashemi has won three awards at the 'Golden Legend' festival in Palermo, Italy. This film received the 'Perspective', 'Mancini', and 'Audience Choice' awards at the 46th edition of this cinematic event. 'Me, Maryam, the Kids, and 26 Others' is considered one of the first cinematic works produced underground in Iran, secretly and without adhering to mandatory hijab laws. Farshad Hashemi, the writer and director of the film, dedicated his awards to independent Iranian artists who resist for change and freedom. He told Voice of America that he did not make 'Me, Maryam, the Kids, and 26 Others' with the aim of winning awards; he simply wanted to create the film without any censorship or restrictions, in the way he envisioned. Hashemi describes the making of this work as a valuable experience for depicting reality and an inner exploration for himself, which was accompanied by many ups and downs. He states that receiving each award is accompanied by a simultaneous feeling of joy and sorrow, representing a paradox: joy due to the recognition of the project, and sorrow stemming from the current bitter conditions in Iran. Hashemi concludes that perhaps his most important achievement is showing the true image of the Iranian people to the world, an image that has not been seen for years due to censorship and other restrictions. 'Me, Maryam, the Kids, and 26 Others' is Hashemi's first feature film, following his experience directing several plays and short films. In his video message sent to the Golden Legend festival in Palermo, he praised the courage of Iranian artists, many of whom continue to fight against the dark shadow of censorship that obscures reality. He dedicated his awards to all independent artists who continue to resist for freedom, especially in the past two years, and who have remained steadfast in their beliefs for change. The film tells the story of a young woman in Tehran who rents her home to a film crew to make a short film about the separation of a man and a woman. While the film adheres to censorship and government restrictions such as mandatory hijab, the ordinary lives of the actors and crew are depicted behind the scenes without regard to these matters. The screening of 'Me, Maryam, the Kids, and 26 Others' at film festivals has received positive reactions from audiences and art critics. Recently, the film won the 'Ingmar Bergman' award at the Gothenburg festival in Sweden.