"Lady
of the Roses" is the name given to the late Shahindokht Sanati,
a lady who went to the Lalehzaar region of Kerman before the Islamic
revolution. She replaced poppies with roses and opium with
rosewater, and took this so far as to transform the agricultural destiny of a whole
region. The story is told by Homayoun Sanati, Shahindokhts
spouse, three years after her death. He is the founder of
Franklin Publishing, Offset printing house, Pars Paper Co. among
others and is considered a one-of-a-kind figure in Irans culture,
industry and management.Â
Back Vocal Directed by Mojtaba
Mirtahmasb 2004 / 40 min
Capture the struggles
of contemporary Iranian singers and musicians working to be
heard in their own country. Back Vocal explores Iran?s
prohibition, since the Islamic Revolution of 1979, of female
solo singers. Mirtahmasb says: "Three years of roaming
among musicians of Tehran resulted in two films centered on the
theme of restrictions on music in Iran. Back Vocal tells
the story of women singers whose unaccompanied singing is forbidden
by religious laws of the country, but who nonetheless try to remain
active, even if that means taking the second seat. I knew from the
beginning that such a film would not get permission to be screened,
so I never applied for a permit."
