"My Camera Was My Power'' A Conversation with Nahid Persson Sarvestani Nathan Aduddell Documentaryfilmmaker Nahid Persson Sarvestaniwas born inShiraz, Iran.She now lives inSweden afterbeing forced totake politicalasylum for heractivismduringand afterthe 1979 IranianRevolution.Her critical films have costher theabilitytoreturntoherhome countrybuthave earnedher therespect ofmany. In the midst ofa tumultuous year inIran, Sarvestanigraciously spoke withme abouther life, herwork,and hercountry. Nathan Aduddell: After founding a local radio station inSweden, you enrolled in film school in 1993.Why did you take thatstep? Nahid Persson Sarvestani: Iwas a journalist in Iran. When I arrived in Sweden, Iwanted to con tinuewriting, but the language was a problem. I liked science as well, so I studied to become a microbiologist. But I soon realized I am not the kind of person who can be locked up in a lab.At the same time Iwas doing voluntary work at an Iranian community radio station. I found, how ever, that thiswas not reallywhat Iwas looking foreither; somethingwas missing. One day Ibor rowed a camera and shotmy kids at theirdaycare center, thenedited the material and added music. above Sarvestani and Fa rah Pahlavi ina scene from The Queen and I, the filmmaker's latest documentary. November-December 2009 i57 Since 1999, Nahid Persson Sarvestani has focused her films on Iran and the position of its women under the Islamic Republic regime. Prostitution Behind theVeil (2004), which documented the livesof two prostitutes inTehran, merited an International Emmy nomination as well as numerous other awards, including the Golden Dragon at the Krakow Film Festival, Best International News Documentary at TV-Festival 2005 in Monte Carlo, and theCrystal AwardbySVT (Swedish State Television). Her most recent film, TheQueen and I (2008), was released this year inconjunction with the thirtieth anniversary of the 1979 revolution and had its North American premier at the Sundance Film Festival. Nathan Aduddell graduated from Marymount Manhattan College with a bachelor's degree in theater performance. After graduating, he moved to Los Angeles and worked in independent and feature films. He isnow a law student at theUniversity of Oklahoma College of Law. Itbecame a film. I called itA Day at the Daycare Centre: A Memory for Life. Parents were buying copies of it,and I realized I had done something that was working well. I liked thisway of telling stories?through sound and moving images. NA: Your films about Iran have told the stories of women?prostitution, polygamy, return from exile, and, most recently, the life of the former empress Farah Pahlavi. How do you choose the stories you want to tell? NPS: You could write a book about how I come up with these ideas! When Iwent back to Iran after seventeen years in exile, I saw with my own eyes how the Islamists had ruined the country and its people. There were junkies, street kids, and young prostitutes everywhere. I could not just sit there with my familyand enjoymy return. I had todo something. Iwished I had thepower to change the country, but I didn't. My camera was my power. I decided to make filmsabout my people and theoppression and violence towhich theywere exposed. Then, by coincidence, Imet two prostitutes and started filming them.During theediting of that film,I came up with the idea of making a film about a man with several wives. I wanted to show themoral double standard and the oppression of women. NA: You had several encounters with Iranian police while shooting ProstitutionBehind theVeil, but you continued to make PourWives?One Man even though itwas dangerous foryou. Can you talk about those experiences? NPS: When I decide to do something, I have to do it. Nothing and no one can stop me. Dur ing the shooting of ProstitutionBehind theVeil, I was caught by the police several times.Most of the times I managed to escape, but on one occa sion we were taken to the police station,where we were to be searched for hidden tapes. We were able to finish shooting the film, and even before itwas shown, I had filmedmuch of Four Wives?One Man. After Prostitution was shown, however, I knew everything would be different. I still needed to do some additional shooting in Iran to complete FourWives...