Abstract:

Considering the historical development in Iranian cinema, it can be seen that the cinema environment has a patriarchal concern excludes women systematically. Developments in political structure and norms changed against women. Prohibitions before the revolution, such as use of veil, hijab and headscarf were reversed after the revolution; thus, the political change directly affected women. A similar situation emerged also in cinema, especially when characteristics of Iranian cinema are considered. The nudity of women in Farsi Films, which are cabaret alike and have sexual connotations, was supervised within the framework of masculine order. After the revolution, it was endorsed by masculine order and laws that the same women should be represented as veiled and dull. With theresult that, women could not have a say in laws about them.     In the cinematographic narrative of Rakhshan Bani-Etemad, the nuances in response to this process are noteworthy. Etemad, whoaims to display social structure with all its nakedness based on her documentarist identity, tries to break women’s imposition of patriarchal order and seeks ways out of the circle. When Etemad’s female actors are taken into consideration, it is seen that they are individuals who can take initiative, who have a voice in the public sphere, who are aware of the labor force and question the patriarchal order. Based on these characteristics, two films of Rakhshan Bani-Etemad (Under the Skin of the City and Gilaneh) are used as purposeful samples and analyzed via feminist literature. Through these films, this paper discusses the position of women in cinema, and focuses on how Iranian cinema can be interpreted from a female director’s perspective.

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