Description
This powerful documentary, taking place between 2016-2020, unearths an unexpected aspect of life for women in Iran: wrestling.
Wrestling is a sport that has a very long history in Iran, going back to ancient times. One Thousand Women follows a group of young women in modern times who are tackling overwhelming obstacles to find their space in the exclusively masculine realm of wrestling in Iran. Together, they learn how they deal with a strict Islamic dress code or face a ban on wrestling with Israeli athletes.
Directed by Mojgan Ilanlou, who was imprisoned by the Iranian regime in October 2022, One Thousand Women is an awe-inspiring group portrait of exceptionally strong women engaged in a never-ending fight for equal opportunities.
The screening will be followed by a Q&A with the son of Mojgan Ilanlou, Parsa Pirhadi, and Javaad Alipoor.
Persian with English subtitles.
About the Speakers
Parsa Pirhadi
Parsa Pirhady is from the beautiful country of Iran. Currently, he is doing a PhD in cancer research at the University of Manchester, however his true love in life is cinema. He was raised on movie sets and, consequently, has developed a deep passion for this universally beloved art form. He has been fortunate enough to witness, first-hand, Iranian cinema’s power to fight tyranny and bring about change.
Parsa is at the Bradford Literature Festival to step in for the director of One Thousand Women, Mojgan Ilanlou, who is also Parsa’s mother. Mojgan is a filmmaker and activist, and was sentenced to 74 lashes and 10 years in prison, in connection with the protests in Iran, but was pardoned and released in 2023.
Javaad Alipoor
Javaad Alipoor is a British-Iranian writer, director, and performer who founded The Javaad Alipoor Company in 2019. His latest work, Things Hidden Since the Foundation of the World, received five-star reviews and sold-out audiences at Battersea Arts Centre and HOME, Manchester, before touring internationally.
Alipoor’s previous work includes writing, co-directing, and performing in The Believers Are But Brothers. He also co-created Rich Kids: A History of Shopping Malls in Tehran, which won a Fringe First Award and later transformed into a digital experience during the COVID-19 lockdown, touring to Sundance Film Festival and The Public Theatre’s Under the Radar Festival.
Alipoor has held directing positions at Sheffield Theatres and Bradford’s Theatre in the Mill. Additionally, he is an activist and political writer, co-founding several organizations and contributing to major publications.
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