Films A-Z
Women in Shroud
Zanan dar Kafan
Farid Haerinejad, Mohammad Reza Kazemi / Iran, Netherlands / 2009 / 73 min.
Death by stoning is a punishment that can be meted out to women, and sometimes even men, who have committed adultery, prostitution or killed in self defence. Lawyer Shadi Sadr, journalist Asieh Amini and other women's rights activists try to help those who have been sentenced to this inhumane, degrading and excruciating form of execution. Their work is difficult, however - it is almost impossible to gather evidence, because the Iranian government strives to cover up everything because of the criticism levelled at it by international human rights organisations. Farid Haerinejad and Mohammad Reza Kazemi's documentary tells the story of some women who have evaded death by stoning thanks to the assistance of Shadi and her non-profit organisation. Changing established practices is not easy, but Iranian women are not giving up the fight, even though the public defence of women's rights also represents a huge risk to themselves. The film won the Peace Award for Justice at this year's Berlinale International Film Festival.
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