Our Directors Provide Insight Into Their Work

The reasons behind telling a story can provide backdrop for making sense of what we see on screen. Our Festival is packed with challenging productions which straddle many of the notions of humanity in our societies. Here we spoke with two directors to get to the core nuggets of their filmmaking. Let us know what you think. As part of our The Trouble With Women Theme Numbness, directed by Milad Jarmooz, is set in one location. The intensity of the acting magnifies the story which unfolds about a woman admitted to hospital under suspicious circumstances. What were the important tenants of the film for Jarmooz? “What is virginity? Is it something physical, spiritual, or perhaps even something political?

“Today losing one’s virginity is still connected to emotion, shaped by culture, religious affiliation and one’s own character.”

I became interested in this subject because it’s forbidden and taboo in my country Iran. But my world, my philosophy and attitude towards virginity is completely different than the Iranian’s, and it would be against my nature to adopt their ideas.” Jeffrey Emile brought us I Am The Black Woman. It is part of our much represented Theme of identity, Who Do You Think You Are Chapter One. “I believe art can be a powerful tool in the way that it gives us a vehicle which allows us to talk about, illustrate, creatively express and address issues in our current world. Black women and women of colour have often been at the end of verbal attacks. They are often looked down upon and even discouraged from wearing their natural hair and curls. (They are asked questions such as) ‘What are you gonna do with that hair once you have to get a job?’, or ‘Wear it like that while you are young and still can’. These are sentences they know well. They have been advised to straighten their hair and use relaxers to ‘tame’ the hair that naturally grows out of their heads. A woman’s hair has often been more esteemed than who she was as a person. Their natural hair had been deemed as ‘messy, ‘unprofessional’ and even ‘disgusting’. This really bothered me and I could recall seeing the affects of this issue as a child. I have seen countless women that I love and know to be beautiful, mothers, sisters, daughters, wrestle with finding and maintaining a sense of self worth.

“This project was crafted to bring light and love to the issue. It attempts to widen our concept of success and beauty.”

Women of colour have kept silent in the work place and at large in fear of loosing jobs and opportunities. I hope that this project opens all of our minds to be more aware of the world around us and allow us to celebrate and appreciate different cultures as opposed to try to make them fit the majority.” You can get tickets now for these films, their Themes and more.