Women Without Men Discussion

Post-screening discussion with Shirin Neshat and Shoja Azari. About Women Without Men The Walker first exhibited New Yorkbased Shirin Neshats work in 1998—the same year she won the Venice Biennales prestigious Golden Lion prize for her video pieces. Her first major US solo exhibition was presented here in 2002. She returns with her feature film debut, an adaptation of the novel by exiled Iranian writer Shahrnush Parsipur. Set in Iran during its infamous 1953 CIA-backed coup, the film follows four women from different social classes as they take refuge in a metaphorical orchard. Through striking visuals and magic realism, Neshat plumbs the depths of their personal tragedies. Filmed in haunting muted hues, the womens individual journeys are compelling, and the broader themes of the tensions between religion and secularism and between tradition and modernity have never felt more relevant (British Film Institute). Selected for the 2010 Sundance Film Festival and winner of the 2009 Venice Film Festival Silver Lion. 2009, 35mm, 95 minutes.