Behind the camera: Iranian women filmmakers and gender inequality in the Iranian film industry

An investigation was conducted to explore the Iranian film industry, first to find the reason behind the progress made by renowned women filmmakers in Iran, and second, the challenges and barriers faced by a new generation of Iranian women filmmakers in advancing their career in the Iranian film industry. This research uses a qualitative approach for exploring the situation of Iranian filmmakers in Iran. A feminist methodology was chosen in order to give voices to women and provide the opportunity to experience research through a creative method. The research method includes semi-structured interviews and the production of a 5-minute movie. First, semi-structured interviews give an opportunity for emerging women filmmakers to talk about their work and share their enthusiasm or their complaints with interested outsiders. Second, a five-minute video was made to capture the lived experiences of women film directing students to capture their motivations in becoming filmmakers. This study has shown the importance of networking in the film Industry and how women can benefit or suffer from this networking. Another major finding was that although the young Iranian generation of filmmakers believes in making changes in society and use filmmaking as an act of activism, they do not call themselves feminist.