The Cinematheque

“Rakhshan Banietemad may not be as well-known outside her country, but for three decades she has sketched some of the most striking portraits of life in Iran—seen, for the most part, through the eyes of the least privileged.”

Yonca Talu, Film Comment

Widely celebrated as the ​“First Lady of Iranian Cinema,” Rakhshan Banietemad (b. 1954) began her filmmaking career in post-revolutionary Iran, at a time when both cinema and public life were shaped by rigid ideological frameworks and deeply entrenched patriarchal structures. Working within, and often against, these constraints, she emerged as one of the most vital and uncompromising voices in Iranian cinema, forging a distinct artistic path grounded in integrity, social awareness, and humanist concern. From the outset, her work has been rooted in everyday realities, offering nuanced and intimate portrayals of women’s lives and the ongoing struggle for dignity, agency, and justice within Iranian society. Her international breakthrough came in 1995 when she won the Bronze Leopard at Locarno for The Blue-Veiled, and she later received awards at festivals including Venice (Tales) and Karlovy Vary (Under the Skin of the City).

Alongside her celebrated narrative films, Banietemad has maintained a sustained and influential engagement with documentary cinema, a practice that profoundly informs her approach to fiction. Her films are marked by observational precision, emotional authenticity, and a deep attentiveness to lived experience, resulting in a cinematic language that feels both immediate and socially resonant. She has also actively supported and produced numerous documentary projects, including a series devoted to prominent Iranian women whose lives and contributions have shaped Iran’s cultural and social landscape.

Beyond the screen, Banietemad has been a steadfast presence within Iran’s women’s movement, inspiring generations of filmmakers and activists committed to freedom, equality, and social justice. In recent years, her refusal to conform to restrictive cultural norms and cinematic limitations has placed her in increasing tension with the establishment, further solidifying her status as a defining figure of resistance and creative courage.

This retrospective brings together three films by Banietemad spanning three decades: Nargess (1992), Under the Skin of the City (2001), and Tales (2014). Through these works, cinema becomes a space for testimony, memory, and collective reflection.