The evening will begin with a 10-minute introduction and background to the film, followed by a 50-minute screening. We will then conclude with an open discussion led by members of the Oxford Iranian Society.

Everyone is welcome!

Taraneh Alidoosti is arguably Iran’s most acclaimed and popular actress of the past decade, best known for leading roles in landmark films and especially the iconic TV series Shahrzad. After the murder of Mahsa Amini ignited the “Woman, Life, Freedom” uprising, she threw her full weight behind the resistance and became one of its most powerful voices.

In this astonishingly brave interview, Alidoosti appears without a headscarf. She speaks openly about persecution, her arrest in front of her young daughter, time in solitary confinement, and the women in nearby cells who sang protest anthems to her. She recounts memorising their names so she could tell their families they were alive.

The film, directed by Pegah Ahangarani, ends with a breathtaking scene of Alidoosti swimming freely in a pool, lifting her head from the water and smiling, an echo of an earlier role where her body was always covered. Since the film aired, Persian social media has erupted in near-unanimous admiration. Alidoosti knows this interview likely ends her acting career in Iran and may lead to renewed arrest. Still, what appears on screen is a woman who is truly free: fearless, morally unbreakable, and extraordinary. If courage has a face, it is hers.