Zamaneh Media
  • Latest Articles
  • Latest News
  • About Zamaneh Media
    • Exiled Media Report
    • Sponsors
    • Donate
    • Contact us
    • Legal
  • Advertise
No Result
View All Result
  • Latest Articles
  • Latest News
  • About Zamaneh Media
    • Exiled Media Report
    • Sponsors
    • Donate
    • Contact us
    • Legal
  • Advertise
No Result
View All Result
Zamaneh Media
No Result
View All Result

Documentary maker honoured for film on LGBTQ in Iran

by Zamaneh Media
November 7, 2014
in Latest Articles
Reading Time: 4min read
0
Documentary maker honoured for film on LGBTQ in Iran

Farid Haerinejad’s Out of Iran: Iran’s Unwanted Sons and Daughters, a film sponsored by Radio Zamaneh, won the best documentary prize at the Noor Iranian Film Festival for 2014. The festival was held in October in Los Angeles, and the film can be viewed here on the Radio Zamaneh website.

The Noor Iranian Film Festival (NIFF) describes its mission on its website as bridging the gap between Iranian and non-Iranian communities as well as promoting Iranian-American talent in Hollywood.

Farid Haerinejad was born in Tehran and pursued his studies in Baku and Montreal. As a filmmaker and editor, he has worked for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) and was the former editor in chief of Radio Zamaneh. A citizen of Canada, he is now living in Germany. He has won several prizes including Berlin’s Cinema for Peace Award for Justice and the New York International Television & Film Silver Award, and he was nominated for Canada’s Gemini Award (now known as the Canadian Screen Awards for film and television).

Out of Iran: Iran’s Unwanted Sons and Daughters documents the experiences of LGBTQ asylum seekers from Iran.
The following is an interview with Farid Haerinejad by Ramtin Shahrzad on the occasion of his film’s success at NIFF.

Why did you become interested in the subject of Iranian LGBTQ in Turkey and other countries?
FH: I was first introduced to Iranian LGBTQ issues in the summer of 2006 when I went to Iran on a working trip for CBC which led to the making of the film: Revealed in Iran. Eight months later, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was speaking at Columbia University when he denied the existence of homosexuals in Iran. I believe the film was instrumental in prompting that discussion and that particular response.

At the time, the Iranian LGBTQ community was not so active. They were just beginning to become more organized with the dissemination of information. In Revealed in Iran I tried to reflect some of these unprecedented advances. As some of the film’s subjects considered leaving Iran in the hope of finding acceptance in a different society, I was struck by the question of whether their dreams really would come true out of Iran. This curiosity led to the making of Out of Iran. I would like to thank all the LGBTQ friends that agreed to appear in the film, as well as the LGBTQ community that showed interest in it.

Homosexuality is considered a crime in Iran. In your film you also focus on social and family issues and how these issues marginalize LGBTQ in Iran. What weighs more heavily on the lives of LGBTQ in Iran, society or family?
FH: I think all these layers are important: laws, society and family. With no protection from the law, society gives itself the right to treat LGBTQ with violence. Therefore, the only place left to offer them some protection is the family. But many are turned away by their families and face a very sad fate. Only those members of the LGBTQ in Iran who are accepted by their families can find some degree of happiness. The family is crucial in facing the obstacles presented for them by society and the judicial system. I hope families read more about about sexual identity and inform themselves so they can understand their children better, rather than turn them away.

How do you see the future for the LGBTQ in Iran?
FH: There is always hope for change and progress. When I look back over the eight years during which I got to know the LGBTQ community, there has already been lots of change.

Eight years ago, there were no organizations supporting this community; now there are several organizations and individuals covering LGBTQ issues and producing extensive information. These organizations are also connecting the Iranian community with the larger global LGBTQ community. This is highly beneficial for all of Iranian society.

In the West, a half-century of work to bring about LGBTQ rights has now led to a rapid process of recognition. A similar process is now underway for Iranians. For example, experts in Islamic jurisprudence and Sharia are engaged in analysis and discussions in order to decriminalize homosexuality. I believe there is room to grow and in the near future we are bound to see more progress.

Are you working on any new projects?
FH: I have just finished two feature-length documentaries: Out of Iran and Behind the High Walls, which looks at the Iranian political prisoners of the 1980s and their memories. I am a bit burnt out and need to take a break but I am also mulling over some new ideas.

 

Watch Out of Iran: Iran's Unwanted Sons and Daughters here:

 

 

Previous Post

Nationalist-Religious activist sentenced to jail

Next Post

Obama reportedly writes fourth letter to Iranian leader

Related Posts

Encyclopaedia Iranica: a Dossier
Latest Articles

Encyclopaedia Iranica: a Dossier

February 28, 2021
Veiled Identity
Latest Articles

Veiled Identity

February 22, 2021
Untold Stories from Encyclopaedia Iranica: Interview with Abbas Amanat
Latest Articles

Untold Stories from Encyclopaedia Iranica: Interview with Abbas Amanat

February 11, 2021
November 2019: Which security and militia institutions started violence and shot people?
Latest Articles

November 2019: Which security and militia institutions started violence and shot people?

January 8, 2021
Encyclopedia Iranica “A real tour de force” is in Peril
Latest Articles

Encyclopedia Iranica “A real tour de force” is in Peril

December 24, 2020
The US Election and the Iranians’ Views: a Reflection of the Hatred for the IRI
Latest Articles

The US Election and the Iranians’ Views: a Reflection of the Hatred for the IRI

November 3, 2020

RSS Iran in other media

  • Writers with roots in Iran seek ways to share their books back home - Los Angeles Times
  • Notice on the Continuation of the National Emergency with Respect to Iran - The White House
  • Suspected Iranian hackers snooping on Middle Eastern targets anew - CyberScoop
  • Iran opposition shines light on century of oppression with new film - Fox News
  • Iran will 'reciprocate action by action,' Rouhani tells U.S. - Tehran Times
  • Iran’s Zarif to offer ‘constructive’ plan for nuclear talks - Al Jazeera English
  • Likud minister's Iran eco-terror accusations damage Israel's credibility - The Times of Israel
  • Multiple elections could boost hardline victories in Iran - Atlantic Council
  • Iranian terrorists claim to have active cells in Washington, DC - Fox News
  • Iran launches vessel to deal with oil spill in Gulf - Hellenic Shipping News Worldwide
Zamaneh Media

© 2020 Zamaneh Media

More information

  • Sponsors
  • Donate
  • About us
  • Contact us
  • Legal

Follow Us

No Result
View All Result
  • Latest Articles
  • Latest News
  • About Zamaneh Media
    • Exiled Media Report
    • Sponsors
    • Donate
    • Contact us
    • Legal
  • Advertise

© 2020 Zamaneh Media