Future of Iranian cinema dismal: Mohammad Sina Ghasemi Mousavi

The future of the globally appreciated Iranian cinema, which is suffering at the hands of 'strict' rules from the state authorities, stern censorships and financial constraints faced by production houses, is dismal, felt Mohammad Sina Ghasemi Mousavi (photo), one of the makers of the film Girls of the Sea, which is competing at the ongoing 30 Kolkata International Film Festival (KIFF).

- NISHAT NIZAMI

Mousavi's production house film, Dokhtarane Darya, and Girls of the Sea in English, is part of the international competition movies in the film festival this year. Unlike the other Iranian films that generally have protagonists from their home country, the film, Dokhtarane Darya centres around the character Goli, an Afghan girl, who illegally escapes to Iran from Afghanistan after suffering atrocities at the hands of Taliban. With dreams of living free and a dignified life, Goli aspires to immigrate to some other countries from Iran and comes across a group that actually traffics such young victims of circumstances luring them with well-paid jobs. With the portrayal of Goli played by an Iranian actor, in a humane manner despite her plight, the film highlights the struggles of Afghan immigrants in Iran and the way they are treated in the country.