Ayat Najafi, Iran / France, 2023, 85 min., documentary, OmeU
In Tehran, a theater group is secretly rehearsing Aristophanes’ comedy “Lysistrata”, a feminist work from antiquity. Director Ayat Najafi travels from Berlin to film the rehearsals. In a haunting black and white dramaturgy, he leads the actors through the theater space without showing their faces or revealing their identities. Suddenly, the women’s revolution “Woman! Life! Freedom!” breaks out in the street. The real demonstrations put the actors in an inner conflict: should they continue their artistic resistance in secret or take an active part in the protests? At the same time, the director finds himself exposed to the accusations of an opportunist who sentimentally distorts the true picture.
