Censoring Iranian cinema: normalization of the “modest” woman

Abstract

ABSTRACT This research examines the structure of Iranian film that has normalized the image of the “modest” Iranian woman, which has little to no relation to the reality of Iranian women. This power structure includes not only the modesty censorship rules of the Islamic Republic but also international film festivals. Utilizing the concepts of reactive and proactive censorship measures, I argue that censorship not only limits and reacts but also creates the image of the modest woman. Counterintuitively, film festivals play a substantial role in this normalization process. In addition, I contest the popular conceptions of “resistance” when discussing Iranian cinema at foreign film festivals and in academia, arguing that the resistance of films and artists is restricted to the structure that governs them. In addition, I challenge the concept of “Iranian national cinema,” in which film festivals promote a repressive government to oppose another power system; specifically, they reward the image of the Islamic Republic’s ideal woman to oppose popular Hollywood portrayals of women. My objective is not to downplay the value of Iranian cinema but to highlight its flaws and encourage a more critical approach to the international power system regulating Iranian films.