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 The U.S. president has called Iran a "terrorist
nation" for involvement in conflicts in the Middle East, and
derided an international deal that scrapped sanctions on Iran in
return for curbs on what many in the West believe was a nuclear
weapons program.
Narges Abyar's Farsi-language film "Nafas" (Breath) follows a
young girl, Bahar, living through the changes that follow Iran's
1979 Islamic Revolution and the start of the Iran-Iraq War in
1980 with her impoverished family.
Her greatest fear is losing the chronically asthmatic father who
is bringing her and her three brothers and sisters up on his
own, and she spends much of her time making sure that he is
still breathing. Bahar's devout grandmother, far from being
kindly, punishes her for refusing to go to Koran school.
The film and Abyar's Oscar nomination have angered hardline
conservatives in Iran's establishment, who call the Iran-Iraq
war the "Sacred Defense" and consider the movie anti-Islamic.
"Three thousand (Iranian) children were killed during the war.
Why should I not show all these?" Abyar told Reuters in an
interview. "This film promotes peace."
She said it could also "help American society ... to understand
that Iranians are not terrorists, as claimed by some
politicians".
"Trump is using the language of threat against Iran ... what
will he think if he watches Nafas? Will he continue to threaten
Iran?"
"I WISH I WERE A BOY"
The film's anti-war message runs alongside an exploration of
what it means to be a woman in Iran, where Abyar lives and
works.
"I chose Bahar because ... I wanted the world to understand all
the limitations an Iranian girl faces ... Bahar was even banned
from playing with her male cousin at a certain age ... At one
point, Bahar says: 'I wish I were a boy'," Abyar said.
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"Outsiders may think it is the influence of the establishment or the
religion, but it is not. It is the culture ... and even many women
in Iran believe that men are more capable than women, and women
should have fewer rights than men."
To follow in the footsteps of her male compatriot Asghar Farhadi,
winner of the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film category in 2012
and 2016, would for Abyar be a recognition of her struggle against
sexism in her industry and wider society.
"In Iran, like many other countries, women are disdained, considered
second-class citizens ... As a woman, if you want to produce new
ideas and be successful, you have to fight."
Iran's women are among the most highly educated in the Middle East
and allowed to do most jobs, glass ceilings permitting. But under
its Islamic legal system, they have fewer rights than men in areas
including inheritance, divorce and child custody, and are subject to
travel and dress restrictions.
Abyar said she had hoped for more from the pragmatist president,
Hassan Rouhani, who owed his 2013 and 2017 election victories in
great part to women voters encouraged by his promises of social and
cultural liberalization.
"Women's situation has improved a bit in Iran," she said. "But I was
expecting improvement in more areas."
Abyar encountered less pressure than expected from the authorities
to censor parts of her film, but added: "I cannot say that the
government defended me when the film was criticized by hardliners."
(Writing by Parisa Hafezi; Editing by Kevin Liffey)
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