Short of the Week: An essential cinematic protest by Jafar Panahi
In Iran, cinema has been a significant vehicle for sociopolitical change, and the government knows it. That’s exactly why the current regime in the country has been cracking down on protests by prominent artists and filmmakers, throwing them in prison for no reason.
Just earlier this month, iconic Iranian actor Taraneh Alidoosti was arrested for voicing her opinions about the government’s brutality on Instagram. For this edition of Short of the Week, we have chosen to highlight the work of Iran’s premier cinematic activist, who has been harassed and persecuted by the government for years – Jafar Panahi.
Unapologetically radical, Panahi’s ability to expose the hypocrisies inherent in regressive traditions is second to none. His 2020 short film Hidden is one of the most powerful additions to his filmography, chronicling the plight of a young, talented woman in a Kurdish village.
Filmed via two smartphones and assisted by his daughter Solmaz Panahi, Hidden follows Panahi’s journey to the village where a theatre producer discovered a mesmerising singer. Unfortunately, her conservative family believe that her musical abilities are rooted in evil, so they forbid her to sing in public.
Like Panahi’s other works, Hidden plays with the blurry boundaries of reality and fiction. It makes para-textual connections to Panahi’s 2018 feature 3 Faces, an overwhelmingly raw drama which has similar concerns about the condition of women in rural Iran.
Given the current sociopolitical climate in Iran, Hidden is an essential work that provides valuable insights to global audiences. The last shot of the film is simply heartbreaking as we hear the undeniably gifted singer who is hidden behind a curtain. Having been told by another villager that her singing would curse her family, this might just have been her last performance.
Watch the short below.
