Mania Akbari

Prominent filmmaker, artist and actress Mania Akbari reclaims her body—and that of all the other women in Iranian film. Using almost a hundred excerpts spanning Iran's film history, from the silent era to just after the Islamic Revolution—films that have all since been banned—she tells a story of liberation, exploitation, emancipation and ultimately oppression.

Prominent filmmaker, artist and actress Mania Akbari reclaims her body—and that of all the other women in Iranian film. Using almost a hundred excerpts spanning Iran's film history, from the silent era to just after the Islamic Revolution—films that have all since been banned—she tells a story of liberation, exploitation, emancipation and ultimately oppression.

Prominent filmmaker, artist and actress Mania Akbari reclaims her body—and that of all the other women in Iranian film. Using almost a hundred excerpts spanning Iran's film history, from the silent era to just after the Islamic Revolution—films that have all since been banned—she tells a story of liberation, exploitation, emancipation and ultimately oppression.

Prominent filmmaker, artist and actress Mania Akbari reclaims her body—and that of all the other women in Iranian film. Using almost a hundred excerpts spanning Iran's film history, from the silent era to just after the Islamic Revolution—films that have all since been banned—she tells a story of liberation, exploitation, emancipation and ultimately oppression.

Prominent filmmaker, artist and actress Mania Akbari reclaims her body—and that of all the other women in Iranian film. Using almost a hundred excerpts spanning Iran's film history, from the silent era to just after the Islamic Revolution—films that have all since been banned—she tells a story of liberation, exploitation, emancipation and ultimately oppression.

Like a trauma therapist, the camera accompanies Javad Soleimani whose wife, Elnaz Nabiyi, was killed aboard flight PS752 after missile attacks by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. Javad's personal and political memories are interwoven as the camera crew and his friends follow him through the complex labyrinth of healing and mourning. Javad's fury and sorrow is gradually geared towards a loud cry for justice.

Like a trauma therapist, the camera accompanies Javad Soleimani whose wife, Elnaz Nabiyi, was killed aboard flight PS752 after missile attacks by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. Javad's personal and political memories are interwoven as the camera crew and his friends follow him through the complex labyrinth of healing and mourning. Javad's fury and sorrow is gradually geared towards a loud cry for justice.

Красивая молодая женщина раздевается для фотосессии. У нее удалены молочные железы: коротко стриженная, без одежды, она напоминает скорее подростка. Это Маниа Акбари, автор фильма. В будущем ей предстоит еще несколько операций. Но фильм не об этом — вернее, не только об этом. Построенный на письмах, которыми обмениваются Акбари и Уайт (он пишет по-английски, она — на фарси), он превращается в очень личный разговор о самых разных вещах. Резина и резиновая промышленность, использование резины в скульптуре, наша кожа, связь между скульптурой и протестами против ношения хиджаба, воспоминания о похоронах отца и детские воспоминания об Ирано-иракской войне.

Красивая молодая женщина раздевается для фотосессии. У нее удалены молочные железы: коротко стриженная, без одежды, она напоминает скорее подростка. Это Маниа Акбари, автор фильма. В будущем ей предстоит еще несколько операций. Но фильм не об этом — вернее, не только об этом. Построенный на письмах, которыми обмениваются Акбари и Уайт (он пишет по-английски, она — на фарси), он превращается в очень личный разговор о самых разных вещах. Резина и резиновая промышленность, использование резины в скульптуре, наша кожа, связь между скульптурой и протестами против ношения хиджаба, воспоминания о похоронах отца и детские воспоминания об Ирано-иракской войне.

Красивая молодая женщина раздевается для фотосессии. У нее удалены молочные железы: коротко стриженная, без одежды, она напоминает скорее подростка. Это Маниа Акбари, автор фильма. В будущем ей предстоит еще несколько операций. Но фильм не об этом — вернее, не только об этом. Построенный на письмах, которыми обмениваются Акбари и Уайт (он пишет по-английски, она — на фарси), он превращается в очень личный разговор о самых разных вещах. Резина и резиновая промышленность, использование резины в скульптуре, наша кожа, связь между скульптурой и протестами против ношения хиджаба, воспоминания о похоронах отца и детские воспоминания об Ирано-иракской войне.

An epistolary feature film: a cinematic discourse between a British director Mark Cousins, and an Iranian actress and director Mania Akbari which extends the concept of "essay film" with startling confrontations in the arenas of cultural issues, gender politics and differing artistic sensibilities. A unique journey into the minds of two exceptional filmmakers which becomes a love affair on film.

Mania Akbari’s From Tehran to London (2012), has a Russian-doll structure. It begins with Akbari shooting her latest film entitled Women Do Not Have Breasts about a couple, the young poet and writer Ava and her upper-class older husband Ashkan, who live in a large, beautiful – yet isolated – house in the hilly outskirts of the city. Household workers Maryam and Rahim attend to their needs. But despite their comfortable lives, Ava is increasingly dissatisfied and estranged in her relationship with Ashkan. What seems to have been an exciting relationship in the past is now little more than a series of mutual reproaches, as Ashkan incessantly tries to change Ava into someone she isn’t – a dutiful wife.

Mania Akbari’s From Tehran to London (2012), has a Russian-doll structure. It begins with Akbari shooting her latest film entitled Women Do Not Have Breasts about a couple, the young poet and writer Ava and her upper-class older husband Ashkan, who live in a large, beautiful – yet isolated – house in the hilly outskirts of the city. Household workers Maryam and Rahim attend to their needs. But despite their comfortable lives, Ava is increasingly dissatisfied and estranged in her relationship with Ashkan. What seems to have been an exciting relationship in the past is now little more than a series of mutual reproaches, as Ashkan incessantly tries to change Ava into someone she isn’t – a dutiful wife.

Mania Akbari’s From Tehran to London (2012), has a Russian-doll structure. It begins with Akbari shooting her latest film entitled Women Do Not Have Breasts about a couple, the young poet and writer Ava and her upper-class older husband Ashkan, who live in a large, beautiful – yet isolated – house in the hilly outskirts of the city. Household workers Maryam and Rahim attend to their needs. But despite their comfortable lives, Ava is increasingly dissatisfied and estranged in her relationship with Ashkan. What seems to have been an exciting relationship in the past is now little more than a series of mutual reproaches, as Ashkan incessantly tries to change Ava into someone she isn’t – a dutiful wife.

A short documentary on the latest film by Mania Akbari titled, From Tehran to London. The film takes a closer look at Akbari’s latest boundary-pushing film that displays females dancing for the first time in Iranian cinema after the revolution. Through the lens of critical analysis with a touch of Freudian psychoanalysis, the documentary comments on how the themes of dance, death, homosexuality, censorship and devastation come to light through the actor’s dialogues and symbols in the film.

Akbari was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2007 and she lost her breasts due to the cancer. After she directed, wrote and acted 10+4 which showed her struggle with the cancer, the depiction of the artists body became central in her works. In the same year, Akbari photographed her own naked body for the photo project titled Devastation. Although it was pretty risky, put herself in danger and prohibited to exhibit Devastation in Iran due to the naked images of her own body, Akbari continued to depict her own body as a new medium and new material so that she provided a video secretly as well. In 2012, after Akbari left Iran due to the barred situation of filmmaking and arresting film makers, she uses the video that shoot secretly from her own body in 2007 and juxtaposed with new images and the song of Ahangaran, who was a singer for the war time between Iran and Iraq. As a result of her action and performance, the video project titled In my country, Men Do Have Breasts happened.

Akbari was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2007 and she lost her breasts due to the cancer. After she directed, wrote and acted 10+4 which showed her struggle with the cancer, the depiction of the artists body became central in her works. In the same year, Akbari photographed her own naked body for the photo project titled Devastation. Although it was pretty risky, put herself in danger and prohibited to exhibit Devastation in Iran due to the naked images of her own body, Akbari continued to depict her own body as a new medium and new material so that she provided a video secretly as well. In 2012, after Akbari left Iran due to the barred situation of filmmaking and arresting film makers, she uses the video that shoot secretly from her own body in 2007 and juxtaposed with new images and the song of Ahangaran, who was a singer for the war time between Iran and Iraq. As a result of her action and performance, the video project titled In my country, Men Do Have Breasts happened.

In a society where all social customs are based on the beauty of a woman, her challenge is to find self confidence and inner beauty despite having lost her physical beauty.

In a society where all social customs are based on the beauty of a woman, her challenge is to find self confidence and inner beauty despite having lost her physical beauty.

In a society where all social customs are based on the beauty of a woman, her challenge is to find self confidence and inner beauty despite having lost her physical beauty.

After casting painter and video artist Mania Akbari as the central figure of his groundbreaking Ten (2002), and then witnessing her outstanding debut as a feature film director in 20 Fingers (2004), Abbas Kiarostami urged her to direct a sequel to the film. In Dah be alaveh Chahar (10 + 4), though, circumstances are different: Mania is fighting cancer. She has undergone surgery; she has lost her hair following chemotherapy and no longer wears the compulsory headscarf; and sometimes she is too weak to drive. So the camera follows her to record conversations with friends and family in different spaces, from the gondola she had famously used in her first feature to a hospital bed.

After casting painter and video artist Mania Akbari as the central figure of his groundbreaking Ten (2002), and then witnessing her outstanding debut as a feature film director in 20 Fingers (2004), Abbas Kiarostami urged her to direct a sequel to the film. In Dah be alaveh Chahar (10 + 4), though, circumstances are different: Mania is fighting cancer. She has undergone surgery; she has lost her hair following chemotherapy and no longer wears the compulsory headscarf; and sometimes she is too weak to drive. So the camera follows her to record conversations with friends and family in different spaces, from the gondola she had famously used in her first feature to a hospital bed.

Tracing the history and influence of Iranian cinema and its filmmakers.

The subject of the film is male-female relationships. Composed of 7 vignettes, "20 Fingers" features Mania Akbari and Bijan Daneshmand as a contemporary Iranian couple. The film is an intense, bumpy series of conversations and sometimes quarrels reflecting the problems facing Iranian men and women and the struggle between modernism and tradition, liberalism and conservatism.

The subject of the film is male-female relationships. Composed of 7 vignettes, "20 Fingers" features Mania Akbari and Bijan Daneshmand as a contemporary Iranian couple. The film is an intense, bumpy series of conversations and sometimes quarrels reflecting the problems facing Iranian men and women and the struggle between modernism and tradition, liberalism and conservatism.

The subject of the film is male-female relationships. Composed of 7 vignettes, "20 Fingers" features Mania Akbari and Bijan Daneshmand as a contemporary Iranian couple. The film is an intense, bumpy series of conversations and sometimes quarrels reflecting the problems facing Iranian men and women and the struggle between modernism and tradition, liberalism and conservatism.

Десять маленьких новелл, придуманных и снятых самим режиссером в салоне автомобиля. Они связаны между собой лишь главной героиней — владелицей машины. Разговоры женщины со своим сыном, сестрой и двумя женщинами-попутчицами о религии, воспитании детей, семейном укладе — непритязательная канва этого тонкого, изысканного фильма.

Десять маленьких новелл, придуманных и снятых самим режиссером в салоне автомобиля. Они связаны между собой лишь главной героиней — владелицей машины. Разговоры женщины со своим сыном, сестрой и двумя женщинами-попутчицами о религии, воспитании детей, семейном укладе — непритязательная канва этого тонкого, изысканного фильма.