TEHRAN (IAO) – The documentary film of "It Sometimes Happens" directed by Sharareh Attari was screened in Beethoven Hall of the Iranian Artists' Forum (IAF), on June 27 and July 1. It is about the unforgotten people, or it might be a flick to the forgotten humanity! Although it is a bitter film, making this film is hopeful to aware. What comes below is our interview with the director of the film:
All of Us Influence on Health of Society
- Let's begin with your last activities. - I studied directing in Jihad Daneshgahi. I also participated in Samandarian's acting workshops. But most of my careers have been working as the first assistant director, TV planner, director. I made a documentary film "Travel", it was about Ashura. The film was screened in London University and welcomed.
- Why did you choose this subject for your film? - I faced with this subject by accident. I was supposed to visit a player. I saw Rima, he was still a boy with women's appearance. I did not know any thing about these people; it was very strange for me when I saw them for the first time. I could not tolerate that house; even I could not look at their eyes. After some time, I could communicate with them, one of them talked to me and told about his life. I felt shame because of my viewpoint toward these people. I did not want to leave them any more, because I had found a new world. First I did not want to make film about this issue, when I was said that Rima is going to be operated, I made my decision. Making this film lasted 3 years.
- Do you believe in realistic documentary film or you give another meaning to the reality? - I believe in being realistic. I think that I can have my own viewpoint. I faced this issue in a realistic way. I tried not to make a report documentary film. It was difficult for me, because I needed to have information transmission. A large part of a film happens in edit, I am satisfied with edit of my film.
- Do you have optimistic viewpoint toward transsexual people? - I cannot say that it is pessimistic. May be I am not sure about it. The hero of the film is very satisfied with his operation and he was in psychological crisis for some time. Now Rima is happy to what has happened to her.
- Didn't you have any trouble to display the film? - I have just received my license. When I began making the film, every one was pessimistic that I cannot receive license to screen the film. I could take without any strange and difficult process.
<http://www.afn.ir/en/news.php?id=3469> A Step toward Public Awareness 1385-04-11 | 16:17:05
TEHRAN (IAO) – The second critic session of the film of "It Sometimes Happens" directed by Sharareh Attari was held in Beethoven Hall of the Iranian Artists' Forum (IAO), on July 2. The session was held with presence of Reza Kianian, Masoud Rashidi, Hossein Pak-Del, Homayoun Emami, Professor Mir-Jalali, Dr. Ehsan Naraqi and Dr. Touraj Moradi (psychiatrist).
Accordingly, after the end of the film Sharareh Attari, director said, "I hope the film has attracted the audience. The production of film lasted three years for some troubles and I worked alone. I appreciate all friends who accompanied me to make the film. I wanted to show the people who do not accept their gender."
Homayoun Emami, documentary filmmaker, talked about the film and said, "It was a simple film. It enters the subject directly without any change. It can make a direct relationship with the audience. Some parts of the film are black and white; it is the symbol of being or not being. The transsexual people have two problems; biological and the way the society faces with them."
Professor Mir-Jalali, expert of changing sex underlined, "This film takes a step to make the people aware of this issue, and it is an important issue in the society. 90 percent of the troubles of this people are social and family problems from their childhood. They suffer psychologically and socially.
"The psychotherapists refer us this kind of people. The psychotherapists give some statistics of transsexual people; three out of 100,000. But the correct one is 4-6 people. It is not allocated to a special society or culture.
"It is a terrible issue for the parents of these patients and they cannot accept easily. Then they need consultant sessions."
<http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/B75D9B55-DDAF-44FA-88C5-0E08D31F8373.htm>
Sex-change film tests Iran attitudes
Sunday 02 July 2006, 9:50 Makka Time, 6:50 GMT
An Iranian documentary about the plight of transvestites and transsexuals is being seen as a bold attempt at pushing societal boundaries.
The authorities allowed only one screening of the 40-minute exploration of Iranian attitudes to sex-change operations before an invited audience of 100 people in Tehran's Artists' House.
That it was shown at all was largely thanks to a little-known religious edict by Ayatollah Khomeini, the late revolutionary leader, who ruled that such operations were an acceptable last resort for patients whose self-image was irreconcilably at odds with their birth sex.
Sharareh Attari, 32, directed the documentary, It Happens Sometimes, and said she was not surprised that it had been denied a wider release.
It showed that "society moves slowly" in accepting difference, she said.
"The jury is still out as to whether there has been a real shift in what is acceptable in Iran but it's in the nature of young people to push the boundaries"
Khosro Sinayee, 65, an experienced director who was among the audience at the premiere, praised the young film-maker's "courage and determination" in tackling the issue.
"The jury is still out as to whether there has been a real shift in what is acceptable in Iran but it's in the nature of young people to push the boundaries," he said.
"[Iran's young] were born into this system and they laugh at the threat of harsh treatment that held so much fear for my generation.
"They just don't see the boundaries as being in the same places."
An 'irreconcilable conflict'
The documentary tells the story of Amir, a 21-year-old who feels like a woman trapped in a man's body and undergoes a sex operation to become Rima.
"Nothing has changed except my sex," Rima says after the surgery.
But, as the movie's opening sequences reveal, few of Rima's fellow Iranians see things that way.
A Muslim cleric interviewed on a bus insists that "transsexuals have no respect for God and therefore can have none for themselves".
A mother says simply: "They're not like us."
It is left to surgeon Barham Mirjalali to say that sometimes people are born with an irreconcilable conflict between their birth sex and their self-image.
Ali, a transvestite friend of Amir who prefers to be called Hilda, says that he changes his clothes and puts on his make-up in a car park because of the incomprehension and disapproval of his family.
The father of another friend offers to pay for his son's sex -change operation on one condition - that the family never see or hear from him again.
Suicide attempts
Amir's own mother, Nasrin, says that as a nurse she has "often heard of such things" but "cannot get used to the situation", as she has no idea what to tell the neighbours.
After the operation, even Rima has doubts about what she has done, so she travels to Iran's Shia clerical capital of Qom to seek reassurance.
There, a theologian tells her that "changing sex is not the same as changing soul" and that even Ayatollah Khomeini sanctioned such operations as a last resort.
However, such happy endings remain a rarity in the Islamic republic, the surgeon featured in the documentary says after the screening.
Mirjalali said he had "large numbers of patients who have only just begun to accept their fate or overcome the misgivings of those around them".
Among those who felt unable to go ahead with a sex change, because of the opposition of their friends or family, he said he had recorded "numerous suicide attempts".
-- Yoshie <http://montages.blogspot.com/> <http://mrzine.org> <http://monthlyreview.org/>