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The Queen and I
Director: Nahid Persson Sarvestani, Germany/Sweden/Egypt/France/USA,
2008, 89 minutes
Canadian Premiere
In her award-winning documentary Prostitution Behind the
Veil, Nahid Persson Sarvestani expressed fierce criticism
of the position of women in her native country, Iran. This drove
the Islamic regime to accuse the leftist documentary-maker of
monarchist sympathies. The reality is, however, that Sarvestani
was a revolutionary who helped overthrow the monarchy in the 1979
revolution.
In reaction to the reprimands, she decided to make a film about
Farah Pahlavi: the last Iranian queen, widow of the Shah of Iran,
her adversary who, like herself, lives in exile abroad.
This leads to a fascinating encounter between two women, with
clashing political visions, who develop an improbable friendship
over two years of filming. During that period, the two confront
each other about their pasts, question their former beliefs, and
share their grievances.
However, when the queen finds out that Sarvestani was a communist
(and hadn’t disclosed that), the filming stopped for six months.
After Farah sees the trailer and approves, shooting resumes.
Perhaps out of fear that the 70 year-old former queen will refuse
further cooperation, Sarvestani doesn’t ask confrontational questions
about the Shah’s heartless regime. She also feels conflicted about
her growing affection for a woman whose husband she so vehemently
opposed.
In the end, the unusual relationship grows between the two as
they realize they have much in common. They are two strong women
who have risen above hardships to continue evolving towards a
positive future.
Nahid Persson Sarvestani was born and raised in Iran. In Sweden,
she began formalized study of television and film production and
in 2003 attended Dramatiska Institutet. She has made films in
Iran under dangerous conditions, among them Prostitution Behind
the Veil, an Emmy-nominated documentary for which the Iranian
authorities detained her for more than three months. This and
other films have made Sarvestani the most award-winning documentary
filmmaker in Swedish history.
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