My Stolen Planet

+ Kurzfilm
The House is Black
Iran, 1963, 20 min, Forugh Farrokhzad, Farsi
Original version with english subtitles

Iranian cinema has long echoed with defiance. In a country where filmmaking is often an act of subversion, directors have learned to create under censorship, surveillance, and the threat of imprisonment. From Jafar Panahi smuggling This is Not a Film out on a USB hidden in a cake, to anonymous videos shared during protests, the act of image-making in Iran is always more than representation, it is resistance.

The House is Black and My Stolen Planet emerge from this legacy. Forugh Farrokhzad’s The House is Black is a pioneering work of Iranian feminist cinema, set in a leprosy colony. Through lyrical narration and stark visuals, she gives voice to those cast out by society creating a radical act of empathy and rupture.

Farahnaz Sharifi’s My Stolen Planet, made six decades later, continues this feminist resistance. Weaving Super 8 home movies, personal archives, and quiet gestures of everyday life, the film becomes a counter-history to the Islamic Republic. It bears witness to Iran’s current uprisings, especially the women-led Jin, Jiyan, Azadi movement.

Together, these films span generations of women’s resistance in Iran. They don’t shout; they remember, mourn, and dream. They are not simply films, but acts of witness – alive, defiant, and unforgotten.