After garnering several international awards, ‘The Tales’ by acclaimed Iranian filmmaker Rakhshan Bani-Etemad, is now playing in Iran cinemas.
However, some sections of the people have criticized the movie, as it “showed only the dark side of the society with crime, poverty, and corruption and no hope for the people.”
But Bani-Etemad staunchly defended her film at ‘7’, a live TV program, broadcast by IRIB Channel 3, which specifically deals with issues regarding Iran cinema, MNA reported.
As a filmmaker whose movies focus on social issues, she said she has an inquisitive approach towards what happens around her. But this attitude reflected in the movies “may not find tolerance by all groups of people.” Part of the audience is certainly not in favor of watching social problems unravel in movies, as they are constantly faced with it in their daily life. On the screen they view cinema as entertainment,” she said.
“The bitter language of criticism is not tolerated by those who are responsible for creating the problems (in the first place) and are expected to answer and provide solutions,” Bani-Etemad noted.
She pointed to the harsh reviews on the film and said, “If those who oppose believe that I have portrayed a dark society in contrast with reality, then they should prove what part of reality I have distorted.”
The director asserted that she sees darkness and bitterness in the society, but does not focus merely on the negative aspects. “Although sunk deep in the problems, my characters keep the essence of a human being alive,” she added.
Hope & Inspiration
On the issue of “disappointment” expressed about her film, Bani-Etemad said, “I define hope in human inspiration: resisting hardship, learning to overcome a troublesome situation, and developing assertiveness.”
When asked why she makes such petulant films, the celebrated female director said, “unlike the false opinion which believes social problems are shown in movies just to attract foreign audience and win international prizes, we try to present these issues as a fillip to remind the relevant people in charge of social affairs to consider the problems seriously.”
‘The Tales’ is a transition to seven lives and the kind of people who live under hard, but not exceptional social conditions, similar to what is faced by many people in the society. It’s a tale of men and women of every stratum, about their passion and love, and their hopes to overcome life’s difficulties.
The stellar cast of the film includes Fatemeh Motamedaria, Peyman Moaadi, Baran Kosari, Mohammadreza Forootan, Golab Adineh, Mehdi Hashemi and Negar Javaherian among others.
The movie has participated in prestigious festivals winning several awards including the Best Screenplay award at the 71st Venice Film Festival, the Best Film Award at the Kolkata International Film Festival (KIFF), and the Jury Grand Prize at the 8th Asia Pacific Screen Awards (APSA).
