Women and Expanded Cinema in Contemporary Iran
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Underground Labyrinths: Women and Expanded Cinema in Contemporary Iran A dissertation presented to the faculty of the College of Fine Arts of Ohio University In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree Doctor of Philosophy Sara Kazemimanesh December 2019 © 2019 Sara Kazemimanesh. All Rights Reserved. 2 This dissertation titled Underground Labyrinths: Women and Expanded Cinema in Contemporary Iran by SARA KAZEMIMANESH has been approved for the Department of Interdisciplinary Arts and the College of Arts and Sciences by Erin S. Schlumpf Assistant Professor of Film Studies Florenz Plassmann Dean, College of Arts and Sciences 3 ABSTRACT KAZEMIMANESH, SARA, Ph.D., December 2019, Interdisciplinary Arts Underground Labyrinths: Women and Expanded Cinema in Contemporary Iran Director of Dissertation: Erin S. Schlumpf This dissertation is a historiographic intervention in the prevailing canon of experimental cinema, and more specifically the history of Iranian cinema. I utilize expanded cinema as an inclusive term that reconciles critical discourses about avant- garde and expanded art practice with experimental and underground film. By investigating the emergence and evolution of expanded cinema in Iran, I posit it as a counter-force to the patriarchal traditions of hierarchy and exclusion that dominate cinema and other cultural spheres in the Islamic Republic. Additionally, I argue that the subjective agency of contemporary Iranian artists, particularly women like Newsha Tavakolian (b. 1981) and Nastaran Safaei (b. 1984), has initiated a new feminist discourse that boldly tackles issues related to gender, identity, and body politics. 4 DEDICATION To Shahriar 5 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I would like to thank my academic and creative advisers, Dr. Erin Shevaugn Schlumpf and David Colagiovanni respectively, for their continuous support throughout my doctoral studies. Erin’s critical input has been instrumental in shaping my academic practice around contemporary discourses of women and body politics, gendered identity politics, and post-modernism. I am truly grateful to her for her patience in reading and reviewing my research, inspiring me to become a better writer. As my creative adviser, David made every effort to provide me with constructive criticism of my work, while allowing me to explore various methods and mediums in my practice. I am indebted to David for sharing his studio space with me during the production of my films, while also facilitating my access to required equipment. I would also like to thank my committee members, Dr. Louis-Georges Schwartz and Dr. William F. Condee, who patiently read drafts of my dissertation, providing feedback instrumental in improving both the content and structure of my manuscript. I am forever indebted to Shahriar Shafiani, my partner and husband, who encouraged me to return to graduate school and pursue a doctoral degree. His boundless love and support has empowered me to strive for academic and creative excellence. He has graciously shared his knowledge and expertise as an independent filmmaker, helping me evolve in my creative practice as an experimental filmmaker. I am deeply thankful to my lovely family in Iran, who have always eagerly followed my career, cheering me on. I am indebted to my brother, Farhad Kazemimanesh for facilitating my field research in Iran by searching for rare books and contacting publishers and scholars on my behalf. 6 I would like to extend my sincere gratitude to Nastaran Safaei and Newsha Tavakolian, whom I cherish as true friends and inspiring colleagues. My dissertation project would not have taken shape without their continued support, trust, and cooperation. I am especially thankful to my friend and colleague, Stephanie MacDonell, for reading my manuscript and offering input that has facilitated the editing process. 7 TABLE OF CONTENTS Page Abstract ............................................................................................................................... 3 Dedication ........................................................................................................................... 4 Acknowledgments............................................................................................................... 5 List of figures ...................................................................................................................... 9 Introduction ....................................................................................................................... 17 Social Media as a Launch Pad for a Progressive Feminist Discourse ........................ 24 Overview of Chapters ................................................................................................. 41 Chapter 1: Cultural Contact and Fractured Identity .......................................................... 44 Historical Trauma and Collective Identity in Pre- and Post-Revolution Iran ............. 48 First Case, Second Case: A Case Study ..................................................................... 53 In This Dead End: Shamlou’s Foreshadowing of an Underground Culture ............... 62 Cultural organizations in Contemporary Iran: Supervision, Censorship, and Statism 67 Chapter 2: Women in Iranian Cinema: Tense Encounters and Pioneers .......................... 73 Forough Farrokhzad: A Foremother ........................................................................... 79 Woman and Body Politics in Contemporary Iran: The Aesthetics of Concealment .. 83 Chapter 3: Underground as the Chrysalis: The Emergence of an Expanded Cinema .... 104 Revolution and War: Trauma and Post-memory ...................................................... 108 Music in the Iranian Underground: Reverberations of Melancholia and Chronic Grief ................................................................................................................................... 115 Winter Is Over: Embers of a Red Sun ................................................................ 121 Mourning, Martyrdom, and Social Critique in the Age of Social Media ................. 125 Bella Ciao: A Meeting in the Mountains ............................................................ 126 Poetic Realist Documentaries ............................................................................. 132 Fine Arts, Architectural, Archeological, and Performing Arts Documentaries .. 132 Documentaries about Film History ..................................................................... 133 Social Protest Documentaries ............................................................................. 134 Avant-garde Documentaries ............................................................................... 136 A Female Auteur: Social Critique and Poetic Expression in The House Is Black .... 142 Music Video, Home Video, and What Leaks in Between ........................................ 152 152 ................................................................................... (2013 ,آقای پست) Mr. Mean Zolf (2007) .......................................................................................................... 159 8 Artist’s Video and Video Art .................................................................................... 164 The Archive as Counter-History: A Revisionist Discourse ...................................... 170 Ain’t My Home (2015) ....................................................................................... 176 178 ................................................................................. (2016 ,نیمی از ما) Half of Us 181 ..................................................................................... (2013 ,پیش درآمد) Prelude 183 ...........................................................(2016 ,ایستاده در غبار) Standing in the Dust Chapter 4: Video-Art in Contemporary Iran: A Female-Specific Tradition ................... 187 Newsha Tavakolian (b. 1981) ................................................................................... 197 Listen (2010-2011).............................................................................................. 201 Look (2012-2013) ............................................................................................... 204 The Blank Pages of an Iranian Photo Album (2015) .......................................... 205 Nastaran Safaei (b. 1984) .......................................................................................... 209 Hamed Rashtian (b. 1985) ........................................................................................ 230 Hooman Mortazavi (b. 1964) .................................................................................... 240 Chapter 5: Creative Project ............................................................................................. 246 Introduction ............................................................................................................... 246 Heideh: A Return: Post-Memory in Contemporary Iran ........................................... 248 Production ................................................................................................................. 249 Statement................................................................................................................... 253 Hayedeh: A Return ............................................................................................. 253 Conclusion .....................................................................................................................