On Human Rights Day, December 10th, the Metro NY Chapter, USNC UN Women invites you to a reception and screening of Mahtab Mansour’s film “Talk Radio Tehran” at the SVA Theatre. Conversation to follow with 2018 Champions of Change Azadeh Khalili and Leila Darabi.

“Iranian women are like tea, the hotter the water, the stronger we get.”

To the startling soundtrack of Tehran’s freewheeling talk radio, three narratives unfold- Zohreh, the chic Rally champion of Iran; indomitable Madam Nosrat, the city’s first woman bus driver; and courageous Sepideh and her colleagues who form the only female firefighting team in the Middle East. With passion and daring, they all defy the status quo in a country on the verge of great change. These spirited Iranian heroines hurtle through the labyrinth of gender-apartheid from dawn to dusk. Heated debate, radical questions, and ironic comedy reveal a society deeply in conflict with itself.

In the wake of this year’s protests, that included women taking off their hijabs, this film headlined on BBC Persian for International Day of Women.

--------

Thanks to Producers Idanna Pucci, Mahtab Mansour and Terence Ward.

About Director Mahtab Mansour

Born In Iran, Mahtab Mansour grew up in Tehran. She left for Paris in 1980 and studied Science of Art at the Sorbonne, and then pursued her studies in Cinema. After completing her Masters degree, she returned to Iran where she taught Film Criticism and Semiology at Teheran University. As the Director of the Cinematography Research Institute from 1995 to 1997, she organized in association with UNESCO, France, the first seminars on International Women in Contemporary Cinema. For two years, she was also responsible of the first Documentary Film Festival in Isfahan. She co-produced 32 documentaries and short films for Iranian TV, and directed a documentary on the Ghashghai tribes, and a series on Iranian women in the Persian Gulf. Mahtab resides in Paris.

Director’s Note

"This film reflects how the Iranian people cope, circumvent and resist the imposed laws by using their imagination. My crew displayed all these talents during the shooting. The footage was shot in Tehran; the atmosphere was extremely tense. Although we had secured permission from the Ministry of Culture, suspicious police and basiji often stopped us for questioning. We were able to complete the shooting only because of my membership card of the Iranian Filmmakers Association, which I had never let expire. Today, hope nervously clings in the air as the struggle between reformists and fundamentalists continues. At the heart of the conflict are the laws restricting women’s rights."

-Mahtab Mansour