Film on Children’s Literature Expert Touran Mirhadi

Prominent Iranian filmmakers Rakhshan Bani-Etemad and Mojtaba Mir-Tahmasb have finished shooting the documentary ‘Lady Touran’ and it is now in the post-production stage.

The movie pictures part of the life of Touran Mirhadi, the veteran expert in children’s literature, who died last November, aged 89. The film seeks to feature Mirhadi’s characteristics as a devoted teacher during the last years of her life, ISNA reported.

Born in the northern city of Bandar Anzali, Mirhadi studied biology at University of Tehran and continued her studies in Europe in educational sciences and psychology.

She spent 50 years of her career to the development of children’s literature and education in Iran. Mirhadi co-founded the Children’s Book Council (CBC) in 1962. The council has played an important role in the creation of many institutions active in children’s literature, education and rights in Iran.

The council began to write ‘The Iranian Encyclopedia for Young People’ in 1979. It is the first colored and illustrated encyclopedia written for children and teenagers in Persian and is meant as a reference work for them.

Bani-Etemad, 63, is an internationally and critically acclaimed film director and screenwriter. Widely considered as Iran’s premier female director, her films have been commended at international festivals and are also popular with home critics and audiences. In her works she usually depicts women struggling with various challenges in society.