Seven people in Tehran: intellectuals, artists, workers, civil servants. As if in a documentary, the camera accompanies them through their everyday lives. This journey takes in a man humiliated by the bureaucracy, a shamed and abandoned single mother, a terrifying snapshot of meth addiction and more. Their stories crisscross and connect to become a mosaic of Iranian society in a genuinely empathic closeup, in which issues like the position of women and the role of the regime become tangible.
Tales is Bani-Etemad's first fictional film after almost a decade of selfimposed ban on filming spurred by the exasperation with the national cultural policy.
"Tales was made in unusual circumstances for making a feature film. There was no budget, no licence to make the film, and yet a group of highly professional actors and the best and most efficient crew gathered with exceptional energy to make this possible. /.../ Back then, two of the best actresses in Iran, Fatemeh Motamed Aria and Baran Kossari, were banned from acting. We had to wrap the film as quickly as possible before hitting an obstacle and having to stop the project altogether. I had all of these points in mind while writing the script." (Rakhshan Bani-E’temad)
Rakhshan Bani-E’temad
Born in Tehran in 1954. After studying at the University of Dramatic Arts in Iran, she made several documentaries for Iranian television. In 1987, she directed her first feature film and gained renown as the leading Iranian filmmaker. Her films reflect intense social and political awareness and dauntlessly address the suppressed issues of Iranian society. In 2008, she received an honorary doctorate from London University.
filmography (selection)
1986 Kharej az Mahdudeh (Off the Limits)
1988 Zarde Ghanari (Canary Yellow)
1989 Pule Khareji (Foreign Currency)
1995 Rusari Abi (The BlueVeiled)
1999 BanooYe Ordibehesht (The May Lady)
1999 BaranOBumi (Baran and the Native)
2001 Zire pooste shahr (Under the Skin of the City)
2002 Ruzegare ma (Our Times)
2005 Gilane (Gilaneh)
2006 Khoon bazi (Mainline)
2009 We Are Half of Iran's Population (doc.)
2014 Ghesseha (Tales)