The Queen and I (Watch The Movie)
In her award-winning documentary Prostitution Behind the Veil, about two Iranian prostitutes, Nahid Persson expressed fierce criticism on the position of women in her native country. This drove the Islamic regime to accuse the leftist documentary-maker of monarchist sympathies.
Whereas during the Iranian Revolution in the late seventies she helped depose the shah the Iranian king. In reaction to these reprimands, Nahid decides to make a film about the last Iranian queen Farah, who lives abroad, like herself. This leads to a fascinating encounter of two women with clashing political visions, who develop an improbable friendship in the two years of their association.
Nahid expressly appears on-screen together with the queen and in the voice-over tells about the problems she runs into. For example, out of sympathy and for fear that the now 70-year-old Farah will refuse further cooperation, she does not really dare ask the queen any really confronting questions about the shah's heartless regime.
These are interesting reflections, which bring to light a number of dilemmas every documentary-maker contends with. In how far do you let your subjects impose their will on you? And to what extent do you comply with the image people want to create of themselves?
Credits
Director
Nahid Persson Sarvestani
Photography
M EB, Nicklas Karpaty
Screenplay
Nahid Persson Sarvestani
Editing
Nahid Persson Sarvestani, Zinat S
Sound
Arvid Lind, William Kaplan, Rostam Persson
Narration
Nahid Persson Sarvestani, Zinat S
Production
Nahid Persson Sarvestani for RealReel Doc AB
Screening copy
RealReel Doc AB
Involved TV Channel
SVT, YLE, NHK enterprises Ltd., ARD
Sales Contact
Nahid Persson Sarvestani for RealReel Doc AB
Festival Handling
Nahid Persson Sarvestani for RealReel Doc AB
Whereas during the Iranian Revolution in the late seventies she helped depose the shah the Iranian king. In reaction to these reprimands, Nahid decides to make a film about the last Iranian queen Farah, who lives abroad, like herself. This leads to a fascinating encounter of two women with clashing political visions, who develop an improbable friendship in the two years of their association.
Nahid expressly appears on-screen together with the queen and in the voice-over tells about the problems she runs into. For example, out of sympathy and for fear that the now 70-year-old Farah will refuse further cooperation, she does not really dare ask the queen any really confronting questions about the shah's heartless regime.
These are interesting reflections, which bring to light a number of dilemmas every documentary-maker contends with. In how far do you let your subjects impose their will on you? And to what extent do you comply with the image people want to create of themselves?
Credits
Director
Nahid Persson Sarvestani
Photography
M EB, Nicklas Karpaty
Screenplay
Nahid Persson Sarvestani
Editing
Nahid Persson Sarvestani, Zinat S
Sound
Arvid Lind, William Kaplan, Rostam Persson
Narration
Nahid Persson Sarvestani, Zinat S
Production
Nahid Persson Sarvestani for RealReel Doc AB
Screening copy
RealReel Doc AB
Involved TV Channel
SVT, YLE, NHK enterprises Ltd., ARD
Sales Contact
Nahid Persson Sarvestani for RealReel Doc AB
Festival Handling
Nahid Persson Sarvestani for RealReel Doc AB
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