Women in the Cinemas of Iran and Turkey: As Images and as Image-Makers

361 Pages·2019·11.2 MB·English

by  Gönül Dönmez-Colin

Women in the Cinemas of
Iran and Turkey
This volume compares the cinemas of Iran and Turkey in terms of the pres-
ence and absence of women on both sides of the camera. From a critical
point of view, it provides detailed readings of works by both male and fe-
male film-makers, emphasizing issues facing women’s film-making.
Presenting an overview of the modern histories of the two neighbour-
ing countries, the study traces certain similarities and contrasts, particu-
larly in the reception, adaption and representation of Western modernity
and cinema. This is followed by the exploration of the images of women
on screen with attention to minority women, investigating post-traumatic
cinema’s approaches to women (Islamic Revolution of 1979 in Iran and the
1980 coup d’état in Turkey) and women’s interpretations of post-traumatic
experiences. Furthermore, the representations of sexualities and LGBTI
identities within cultural, traditional and state-imposed restrictions are
also discussed. Investigating border-crossing in physical and metaphorical
terms, the research explores the hybridities in the artistic expressions of ‘de-
territorialized’ film-makers negotiating loyalties to both vatan (motherland)
and the adopted country.
This comprehensive analysis of the cinemas of Iran and Turkey, based on
extensive research, fieldwork, interviews and viewing of countless films, is a
key resource for students and scholars interested in film, gender and cultural
studies and the Middle East.
Gönül Dönmez-Colin is a film scholar specializing in the cinemas of the
Middle East and Central Asia. She is the author of The Routledge Dictionary
of Turkish Cinema, Turkish Cinema: Identity, Distance and Belonging, Cine-
mas of the Other: A Personal Journey with Filmmakers from the Middle East
and Central Asia, Women, Islam and Cinema amongst other works.
Routledge Studies in Middle East Film and Media
This new series is for books that examine the development of film and media
in the modern and contemporary eras. It includes works on cinema, televi-
sion, and print and digital medias, and how these have impacted on society,
politics, the economy and culture in the region.
Women and Turkish Cinema
Gender Politics, Cultural Identity and Representation
Eylem Atakav
Women in the Cinemas of Iran and Turkey
As Images and as Image-Makers
Gönül Dönmez-Colin
For more information about this series, please visit: https://www.routledge.
com/middleeaststudies/series/MEFILM
Women in the Cinemas of
Iran and Turkey
As Images and as Image-Makers
Gönül Dönmez-Colin
First published 2020
by Routledge
2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN
and by Routledge
52 Vanderbilt Avenue, New York, NY 10017
Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa
business
© 2020 Gönül Dönmez-Colin
The right of Gönül Dönmez-Colin to be identified as author of this
work has been asserted by her in accordance with sections 77 and 78
of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or
reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical,
or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including
photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or
retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers.
Trademark notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks
or registered trademarks, and are used only for identification and
explanation without intent to infringe.
British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British
Library
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Dönmez-Colin, Gönül, author.
Title: Women in the cinemas of Iran and Turkey: as images and as
image-makers / Gönül Dönmez-Colin.
Description: London; New York, NY : Routledge, 2019. |
Series: Routledge studies in Middle East film and media | Includes
bibliographical references and index.
Identifiers: LCCN 2019012225 (print) | LCCN 2019013241 (ebook) |
ISBN 9781351050319 (Ebook) | ISBN 9781351050302 (Adobe Reader) |
ISBN 9781351050296 (Epub) | ISBN 9781351050289 (Mobipocket) |
ISBN 9781138485112 (hardback)
Subjects: LCSH: Women in literature. | Motion pictures—Iran—
History and criticism. | Motion pictures—Turkey—History and
criticism.
Classification: LCC PN1995.9.W6 (ebook) | LCC PN1995.9.W6 D647
2019 (print) | DDC 791.43/6522—dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2019012225
ISBN: 978-1-138-48511-2 (hbk)
ISBN: 978-1-351-05031-9 (ebk)
Typeset in Times New Roman
by codeMantra
in memory of my father

Contents
List of figures ix
Acknowledgements xiii
Introduction 1
1 From inflated plastic dolls, patience stones,
honour bearers, home-breakers and ‘commodified
others’ to free agents: Screen images of women 37
2 Women on the thorny trail of image-making 91
3 Post-traumatic cinema and gender 147
4 Narratives of resistance 189
5 Sexualities and queer imaginaries 233
6 Border-crossings and ‘deterritorialized’ film-makers 265
7 His films: Abbas Kiarostami and Nuri Bilge Ceylan 299
Afterword 339
Index 341

List of figures
1.1 Qaisar (Masoud Kimiai 1969) with Kobra Saidi known as
Shahrzad (Courtesy of Shahin Parhami) 45
1.2 Qaisar (Masoud Kimiai 1969) with Kobra Saidi known as
Shahrzad (Courtesy of Shahin Parhami) 46
1.3 Razor’s Edge: The Legacy of Iranian Actresses (Bahman
Maghsoudlou 2016) (Courtesy of Bahman Maghsoudlou) 63
1.4 Ragbaar/The Downpour (Bahram Baizai 1971) (Courtesy of
Bahman Maghsoudlou) 68
1.5 Kalagh/The Crow (Bahram Baizai 1977) (Courtesy of
Bahman Maghsoudlou) 69
1.6 Cherikeh-ye Tara/The Ballad of Tara (Bahram Baizai 1978)
(Courtesy of Bahman Maghsoudlou) 71
1.7 Bashu: Garibeh-ye Kuchak/Bashu, the Little
Stranger (Bahram Baizai 1986) (Courtesy of Bahman
Maghsoudlou) 72
1.8 Shayad Vaqhti Digar/May Be Some Other Time (Bahram
Baizai 1987) (Courtesy of Bahman Maghsoudlou) 73
1.9 Marg-e Yazdgerd/The Death of Yazdgerd (Bahram Baizai
1982) (Courtesy of Bahman Maghsoudlou) 75
2.1 Qaisar (Masoud Kimiai 1969) with Kobra Saidi known as
Shahrzad (Courtesy of Shahin Parhami) 96
2.2 From the set of the short film of Saidi, Arezoohaye
Bozorg-e Maryam/Maryam’s Great Dreams starring Puri
Banai (Courtesy of Shahin Parhami) 96
2.3 Shahrzaad’s Tale (Shahin Parhami, Iran/Canada 2016)
poster (Courtesy of Shahin Parhami) 97
2.4 Saidi and Banai reuniting after many years in Parhami’s
film (Courtesy of Shahin Parhami) 98
2.5 Saidi visiting Stone Garden in Parhami’s film, where
she acted in ‘new wave’ director Parviz Kimiavi’s
Baqe Sangi/The Garden of Stones (1974) (Courtesy of
Shahin Parhami) 98
2.6 Saidi facing Parhami’s camera (Courtesy of Shahin
Parhami) 99