Paradise

Relevant and riveting film produced by Jafar Panahi's brother, Yousef, about the frustration and injustice of life as a young woman in today's Iran.

Paradise is the first film in a planned trilogy about violence, by director Sina Ataeian Dena. It is produced by jailed star director Jafar Panahi's brother, Yousef. The film was made without official permission by the Iranian government. Debut actor Dorna Dibaj gives a poignant performance as the 25-year-old teacher Hanieh, who lives with her married sister in Tehran. Faced with the conservative, unfair and insanely bureaucratic Iranian society, she encounters obstacle after obstacle both in her private life and in her position as a teacher at an all-girls elementary school, an overly long bus ride away from her home.

Several memorable scenes heighten the film experience with subtle criticism of the regime. For instance, in a tragicomic way, the headmaster of the school gives a speech to a large group of young students about why football is a boy's sport. The scene makes it even clearer why Hanieh is willing to go through the enormously complicated and time-consuming process it is to change the workplace for a woman in Iran.

Jon Sæter

Director

Sina Ataeian Dena (b. 1983) is a director, screenwriter and producer from Ahvaz in southern Iraq. He originally studied physics but dropped out and eventually started studying film. He has already put behind him a versatile career as a filmmaker, and has, among other things, made video art, short films, and animated films. Paradise (2015) was his first feature film.

This film is part of