Official Trailer
Inspired by the tragic death of Sahar Khodayari known as “Blue Girl” in Iran.
Reviews Director Navid Nikkhah Azad
7 users | 3 critics Writer Navid Nikkhah Azad
Awards Stars Mojan Kordi, Reyhaneh Nabiyan, Niloofar Shokouhinia, Ghazal Khalili 4 wins | 6 nominations full cast and crew
Navid Nikkhah Azad · THE RECESS GENRES
Short | Drama
TAGLINE
She only had one destination, but even destiny could not stop her.
LOGLINE
Inspired by the tragic death of Sahar Khodayari known as “Blue Girl” in Iran.
STORYLINE
Sahar is a 17 year old student who is determined to skip high school during the recess to attend the football stadium to watch the football match between Esteghlal F.C. vs. Al-Ain as part of AFC Champions League against the national ban on women to enter football stadiums in Iran. Quote from The Recess
Tahoora: “Today the security is tighter than ever. It's a sensitive match. If you get caught, you'll be fucked. They said no mercy this time.”
DID YOU KNOW
Trivia
The Recess (2020) is inspired by the tragic death of Sahar Khodayari known as Blue Girl in Iran. Sahar Khodayari also known as Blue Girl was an Iranian fan of Esteghlal F.C. In March 2019, she attempted to enter Azadi Stadium disguised as a man to watch a match played by the team, against the national ban on women at such events. On 2 September the same year, she was told by the Islamic Revolutionary Court of Tehran that she may face a six-month prison sentence. After leaving court, she committed suicide by self-immolation in front of the building. She died a week later of her injuries. Khodayari's self-immolation has generated much debate in Iran about the government's restrictions on women.
Plot Keywords
sahar khodayari blue girl human rights
football self immolation gender disguise
stadium controversy Country
Iran
Company Credits Languages
Production company Shamid Films Persian Spanish English
Distribution company FeelSales Portuguese French German
Also Known As Technical Specs
original title The Recess Runtime 12 minutes
spanish title El Recreo Sound Mix Dolby SR
persian title Zang-e Tafrih Color Color
Aspect Ratio 1.85 : 1
Release Dates
Turkey 4 November 2020 USA 24 March 2021 Spain 31 May 2021
Izmir International Short Film Festival Oxford Film Festival Alicante Film Festival Is “The Recess” based on true events?
The Recess (2020) is based on the tragic death of Sahar Khodayari known as 'Blue Girl' in Iran.
Who was Sahar Khodayari?
Sahar Khodayari also known as Blue Girl was an Iranian fan of Esteghlal F.C. In March 2019, she attempted to enter Azadi Stadium disguised as a man to watch a
match played by the team, against the national ban on women at such events. On
2 September the same year, she was told by the Islamic Revolutionary Court of Tehran that she may face a six-month prison sentence. After leaving court, she
FAQs committed suicide by self-immolation in front of the building. She died a week later of her injuries. Khodayari's self-immolation has generated much debate in Iran about the government's restrictions on women.
When was “The Recess” premiered?
The Recess (2020) was world-premiered in International Panorama section of the 21st edition of Izmir International Short Film Festival on November 4, 2020 in Turkey. Why is the film called “The Recess”?
The Recess (2020) covers the hours leading up to Sahar Khodayari's arrest at school. The whole story happens during recess in an Iranian high school for girls. The Recess (2020) starts with the school bell ringing. Sahar, along with three of her friends helping her, gets ready to escape from high school and goes to the football stadium. As the school bell rings again to announce the end of recess, Sahar starts to leave school. As she walks off into the distance and becomes out of focus, The Recess (2020) ends.
Is the main character of “The Recess” portrayed the same age as Sahar Khodayari when she self-immolated herself? FAQs
The main character "Sahar" in The Recess (2020) is a 17 year old high school girl while Sahar Khodayari was 29 years old when she committed self-immolation.
Does “The Recess” have any connection with Jafar Panahi’s “Offside”?
The Recess (2020) is based on the true story of the death of Sahar Khodayari while Offside (2006) is a fictional comedy/drama based on real facts; the ban and the prohibition of women in football stadiums in Iran. Every year hundreds of young girls, wearing beard and makeup, try to enter Iran’s football stadiums with difficulty.
A number of them are arrested by the national security force and are sentenced to harsh and severe punishments.
Sahar Khodayari also known as ‘Blue Girl’ is one of these hundred girls
who was arrested for watching her favorite team’s match in 2019.
She committed self-immolation in front of the Islamic revolutionary
OUR STORY court of Tehran in protest at her sentence. She died a week later of her injuries.
This film is inspired by Sahar Khodayari’s final days. Izmir International Short Film Festival | 2020
Edition 21 Festival Dates 4-8 November 2020 Country Turkey
Festival Internacional de Cine de Lebu | 2021
Edition 21 Festival Dates 13-21 March 2021 Country Chile
Living Skies Student Film Festival | 2021
Edition 33 Festival Dates 4-6 March 2021 Country Canada OFFICIAL SELECTIONS
Oxford Film Festival | 2021
Edition 18 Festival Dates 24-28 March 2021 Country USA Garden State Film Festival | 2021
Edition 19 Festival Dates 23-28 March 2021 Country USA
Reality Bytes Independent Student Film Festival | 2021
Edition 20 Festival Dates 12-14 April 2021 Country USA
Humboldt International Film Festival | 2021
Edition 54 Festival Dates 19-25 April 2021 Country USA OFFICIAL SELECTIONS
Grand River Film Festival | 2021
Edition 14 Festival Dates 5-8 May 2021 Country Canada The Johns Hopkins Film Festival | 2021
Edition 24 Festival Dates 15-18 April 2021 Country USA
Vox Feminae Festival | 2021
Edition 15 Festival Dates 7 May - 17 June 2021 Country Croatia
KinoFestival “Light of the World” | 2021
Edition 11 Festival Dates 12-15 May 2021 Country Russia OFFICIAL SELECTIONS
Alicante Film Festival | 2021
Edition 18 Festival Dates 29 May - 5 June 2021 Country Spain River Film Festival | 2021
Edition 15 Festival Dates 1-30 July 2021 Country Italy
San Francisco Frozen Film Festival | 2021
Edition 15 Festival Dates 14-18 July 2021 Country USA
Kimera International Film Festival | 2021
Edition 19 Festival Dates 14-18 July 2021 Country Italy OFFICIAL SELECTIONS
Ischia Global Film Festival | 2021
Edition 19 Festival Dates 18-25 July 2021 Country Italy Visioni Corte International Short Film Festival | 2021
Edition 10 Festival Dates 18-25 September 2021 Country Italy
FECISO - Festival Internacional de Cine Social de Castilla-la Mancha | 2021
Edition 18 Festival Dates 1 October - 14 December 2021 Country Spain
Festival Internacional de Cine de Calzada de Calatrava | 2021
Edition 8 Festival Dates 6-21 August 2021 Country Spain OFFICIAL SELECTIONS
Salento International Film Festival | 2021
Edition 18 Festival Dates 7-12 September 2021 Country Italy Izmir International Short Film Festival | 2020
Official Selection | International Panorama Nominee Festival Award Best Short Film | Navid Nikkhah Azad
Living Skies Student Film Festival | 2021
Official Selection | Competition Nominee Jury Prize | Best Performance Best Performance | Mojan Kordi
Humboldt International Film Festival | 2021
Official Selection | Competition
NOMINATIONS Nominee Jury Prize Best Narrative Short Film | Navid Nikkhah Azad
Festival Internacional de Cine de Calzada de Calatrava | 2021
Official Selection | Competition “HIPARQUÍA” Nominee Jury Prize Best Short Film | Navid Nikkhah Azad Living Skies Student Film Festival | 2021
Winner Festival Prize
Best Performance | Mojan Kordi
Oxford Film Festival | 2021
Winner Festival Prize
Best Narrative Short Film | Navid Nikkhah Azad
The Johns Hopkins Film Festival | 2021
AWARDS Winner Festival Prize
Best Narrative | Navid Nikkhah Azad
San Francisco Frozen Film Festival | 2021
Winner Festival Prize
Best Dramatic Short Film | Navid Nikkhah Azad ABOUT THE DIRECTOR
Navid Nikkhah Azad is an Iranian award-winning film director known for
Suddenly Zinat... (2012), Motherly (2013), and The Recess (2020).
Navid Nikkhah Azad Film Director His short films were selected and screened in more than 100 international film festivals including a number of OSCAR, BAFTA, and GOYA qualifying film festivals around the world.
He’s earned 9 awards and 25 nominations in international film festivals. Navid Nikkhah Azad Film Director
As tragic and heart-breaking is the self-immolation and the death of Sahar Khodayari, her departure serves as deep sorrow which penetrates into our hearts and starts living inside our soul. S STATEMENT ' As part of a society, and above all as a human, I can’t stop thinking about the dimensions of this very tragedy, be it social or spiritual or else, it deeply affects our lives down to every core and cell.
However, I’d like to think of Blue Girl as an individual soul, with a deep character within. DIRECTOR
What made me think of it as a subject for a movie, and a serious concern as a filmmaker, was that the truth about Sahar Khodayari, her life story, who she was, and what he did, was majorly disrupted by the government and the media. She was made a person with no “past”.
So I decided to make this film about Blue Girl to give her a “past” she deserved and “truth” to who she was and what she did. CRITIC REVIEW
Jacob Baker Lifestyle editor
“The Recess” was a complete surprise.
The film is inspired by the tragic death of Iranian resident Sahar Khodayari who snuck into an Iranian football game where women aren’t The last moments of the short film see Khodayari leaving school as allowed to attend. she walks off into the distance and becomes out of focus.
The Recess” covers the hours leading up to her arrest at school. The The viewer is presented with text explaining that Khodayari was short film looks extremely professional and the actresses showcased caught, and to protest her sentence, self-immolated until she give great performances. eventually died from her injuries.
Khodayari’s preparation at the school with the help of classmates almost These pieces from director Navid Nikkhah Azad make “The Recess” a feels like a heist film. heartbreaking short film worth watching. TESTIMONIALS
FIFA
We learnt of some very sad news from Iran and deeply regret this tragedy.
AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL
“What happened to Sahar Khodayari is heart-breaking and exposes the impact of the Iranian authorities’ appalling contempt for women’s rights in the country.”
PAUL POGBA
Strength and prayers to family and friends of #bluegirl TESTIMONIALS
Hedvig Lindahl
Everybody should stand up for human rights, in Iran and everywhere else. It should be a given and nothing one should need to thank anyone for.
Hope Solo
Let Iranian women in!
INTERNATIONAL OBSERVATORY OF HUMAN RIGHTS
Iran continues its reign of discrimination against women’s rights. TESTIMONIALS
FC Barcelona
FC Barcelona is very sorry to hear about the death of Sahar Khodayari, may she rest in peace. Football is a game for everyone - men AND women, and everyone should be able to enjoy the beautiful game together in stadiums.
AS Roma English
On Sunday, the #ASRoma Women players wore special blue armbands as they warmed up before their first league match of the season to remember and mourn Sahar Khodayari aka #BlueGirl, the 29-year-old female football fan who tragically killed herself in Iran last week. TESTIMONIALS
Kevin Williamson
My all-time favourite movie about football is Jafar Panahi's 2006 film Offside about a lass trying to get into a stadium. 13 years later Iran still refuses women entry into football grounds. Now this tragedy. Football is for everyone. #SaharKhodayari RIP
Nicholas Kristof
Iran’s #bluegirl wanted to watch a soccer match, but Iran doesn't let girls or women buy tickets to the soccer stadium. She died pursuing her dream. AUDIENCE REVIEWS
The Recess” is a short film of high value that gives the audience a good understanding of a tragic story based on true events; a true story with a missing point of beginning, a story no one knows the real facts behind it.
“The Recess” depicts minutes from a teenage girl’s joy of The movie puts emphasis and stress on the smallest details of a sensitive situation. The life. Making her dream come true is all she can think of. dialogues between the four students (Sahar, Aida, Tahoora and Sara) are perfectly written, which is unparalleled among Iranian short films, for being so realistic. Given the true story which the film is inspired by, we all know that a tragic end awaits her, though. Director Navid Nikkhah Azad intentionally does not show the real tragedy which happened after school, and this makes the audience not to lose the image of the tragic The emphasis on the hopeful aspect of this teenage girl’s self-immolation of Sahar Khodayari (Blue Girl) even for a single moment. Even those who life is one of the remarkable features of this film. have never heard of the tragic incident, can perfectly understand the movie and sympathize with the main character. Sepide Berenji Film Director The viewer is presented with texts explaining that Sahar Khodayari was caught, and later on, a possible sentence of six months in prison awaited her and to protest her sentence, she self-immolated until she eventually died from her injuries.
Ramin Vahidzadeh IMDb user AUDIENCE REVIEWS Nasrin Tajeran Audience
“The Recess” is about Sahar, a football fan known as As an Iranian female audience of the short film “The Recess” “Blue Girl” in Iran. directed by Navid Nikkhah Azad, I can say that “Blue Girl” is the example of an Iranian woman who is caught between the norms Sahar Khodayari “Blue Girl” has been a role model for and abnormalities of the society which are imposed on her by Iranian girls in my country. She has been/will be a culture, laws, society, family or even her friends. symbol of courage in my country, Iran. This can be found repeatedly in everyday life of Iranian women, I really enjoyed watching “The Recess”. Great and reminds us to move on and to go forward in the direction of performances and good direction. And the ending the the voice of our destiny. The Iranian society should also get music soundtrack is just amazing. past this and welcomes “Blue Girl”s of its own land.
I want to invite you to watch this short film as I did and Personally, I enjoyed watching this “The Recess” and I thank the enjoyed. director for it.
KImia Hosseini Actress AUDIENCE REVIEWS
This movie was one of the best films I have ever seen, especially as a women it was very understandable for me. “The Recess” fits into a perfect short film, second-to-none. The director’s effort to And of course, choosing the name of the movie was take the film near reality is very much commendable. Iranian cinema always plays a one of the intellectual and best names that could be significant role in cinema on a global scale. chosen. “The Recess” is inspired by a true story which touched the whole world. It embraces I think everyone “must” see “The Recess”. womanhood. The tragic self-immolation of the Iranian Sahar Khodayari ‘Blue Girl’ was furious. Director Navid Nikkhah Azad develops the narrative in a subtle way. Tannaz Alipour IMDb user The setting of the story is masterfully depicted. The dialogues suggests the hard challenges and difficult choices that women face in everyday life in Iran. To cut the long story short, the film is masterfully-made and the actresses give superb performances.
Nandita Paul IMDb user AUDIENCE REVIEWS
A beautiful and deep short film with brilliant acting.
Soraya Ebrahimi Photographer
“The Recess” is a short film inspired by a bitter tragedy happened to the main character, and based on an unfair law written for women in Iran.
The film has a brilliant opening, and a believable ending. The ending could be more touching, though.
One can sympathize with the main character. Each moment of “The Recess” challenges the audience more.
To cut the long story short, the film has the potential to develop into a narrative feature film.
Rayeheh Sedghi IMDb user AUDIENCE REVIEWS
This film shows all the love and interest of Iranian girls for football, as well as their This film indicates the desperation and instability of difficulties and hardships to go to the stadium, in a small classroom space, using the situation of women in Iran. different characters and dialogues that are exchanged between them. Today’s Iranian society tries to make women It deals exactly with the truth of this story and there is no exaggeration in it that obedient and ignore women’s rights and demands. wants to arouse the audience’s feelings more than his intellect and thinking. Discrimination that Iranian women, after the victory The film has the right atmosphere and, if it was possible to continue the film until of the Islamic Revolution and the loss of many of Sahar Khodayari enters the stadium, it would have been more interesting. their rights and privileges, openly touch in their daily lives.
Reyhaneh Godini IMDb user Anxiety throughout the film is quite palpable for me as a woman in Iran.
Nasim Pirhadi Artist The Recess talks about one of the most provocative issues happened in Iran, the self-immolation of Sahar Khodayari, for trying to enter a public stadium in Iran.Now, through the passage of time, almost the issue is forgotten.
The strong point of The Recess is developing a different point of narrative which does not focus on the self-immolation, and the tragic incident. Rather, it talks about the dream of schoolgirl to attend the football stadium to watch the match of her beloved team.
The performances from the ensemble cast of newcomers are believable, and at some point brilliant. The dialogues were smart, but the viewer could follow the story better if there was not dialogues for every scene, and more scenes without dialogues would be appreciated.
The film looks professional and the directing and cinematography are in accordance with each other. There is no music all through the film except for the ending scene, and the piece written by music composer Mikhail Shmatenko is touching and uplifting. The film editing from Golden Leopard winner of Locarno International Film Festival (1996) Vahid Nikkhah Azad is almost flawless, and the viewer focus perfectly on the development of the story.
AUDIENCE REVIEWS The film ends with the main character leaving school to attend the football stadium, and with the captions presented to give the viewer awareness about who Sahar Khodayari was, and how she died. The texts are very much bitter and make the audience filled with sadness, but the music is a piece of hope, and let the audience forget about the bitterness, and hope for a better world. In one word, the film may not be a masterpiece, but definitely is worth watching.
Motherly Short Film IMDb user FULL CAST AND CREW
Directed by
Navid Nikkhah Azad
Written by
Navid Nikkhah Azad
Stars
Mojan Kordi Sahar
Reyhaneh Nabiyan Tahoora
Niloofar Shokouhinia Aida
Ghazal Khalili Sara
Produced by
Navid Nikkhah Azad FULL CAST AND CREW
Original Music by
Mikhail Shmatenko
Cinematography by
Behrouz Badrouj
Film Editing by
Vahid Nikkhah Azad
Art Direction by
Mona Ramezani
Makeup Department
Masoomeh Babzab makeup artist
Sara Bolboli makeup designer FULL CAST AND CREW
Production Management
Keyvan Moradabadi production manager
Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Sara Babaei second assistant director
Mona Khoshravesh first assistant director
Art Department
Reza Karami assistant art director
Omid Nourmoradi assistant art director
Sound Department
Ehsan Namdari sound recordist
Saman Shahamat sound designer FULL CAST AND CREW
Camera and Electrical Department
Ali Derakhshani Key grip
Behtash Komehzari second assistant camera
Maryam Mostafid Behind the Scenes Camera
Negar Nikkhah Azad still photographer
Saeed Zarabadipour first assistant camera
Editorial Department
Farbod Jalali colorist
Script and Continuity Department
Somayeh Shahrabi continuity A PRODUCTION OF