A woman stands alone in the Iranian desert. 12 scarves blow in a gentle breeze. A door creaks back and forth.

A face appears out of the darkness - “it’s time”

We see her imprisoned in her own domesticated environment, longing for freedom, hair hanging out of her window. A pigeon appears above.

As she discovers this movement growing outside, she begins to escape her confines both physically and metaphorically, becoming duplicated into multiples, as she represents all women, children and men of Iran. She is the breeze that gradually becomes the storm – a symbol of the women-led revolutions.

“Women, life, freedom”

Pairi Daeza initiated the The Woman Life Freedom project; a one-of-a-kind scarf collection, created in collaboration with 12 Iranian artists from all over the world. Each artist has created a unique design for their own custom scarf, incorporating messages related to the current revolution in Iran to continue sparking hope.

The brand wished to create a film that could stand as its own piece whilst still incorporating the scarfs, as all profits from the sales of the scarves will go to the Abdorrahman Boroumand Center to directly support the movement.

The goal with the project, besides financially supporting the movement, was to provide the artists a platform to express themselves and keep the conversation about the revolution in people's minds. More importantly, it should serve as a symbol of empowerment and hope in this exhausting fight.

"Iran-e Man" has gained global attention since premiering online. The film incorporates powerful symbolism that reflects Iranian heritage and culture, alongside elements that relate to the movement in Iran. The film's success can be attributed to various traditional elements such as the music, voice-over, set-design, location, cast, and symbolism such as pomegranates, long hair, Persian rugs, traditional dancing, and scarves with related messages to the revolution. These elements provide the cultural context that resonates with Iranians both inside and outside of Iran. As a result, the film was picked up by the largest Iranian television show outside of Iran, as well as various Western media outlets. This is a testament to the universality of the film's message.

"Iran-e Man" offers a message of empowerment and hope to those who watch it, not only in Iran but across the world, by highlighting the beauty and resilience of Iran's rich cultural history.

When creating this film together with the director I wanted to make sure we respected and included visual symbols/metaphors that related to the project's Persian heritage. It was a very sensitive subject so I needed to really listen and take on-board considerations regarding rhythm, amount of movement and the final look of the images. We understood at an early stage that we would shoot on celluloid film to create this nostalgic feeling that the director wanted to come through and, in the end, together with a very thorough colour correction, I think we got to a very beautiful place.