Mick Hartley

This interview (via Butterflies and Wheels) with documentary filmmaker Nahid Persson about her film “Prostitution Behind the Veil” provides an insight into a side of modern Iran you don’t normally hear about:

“When I left Iran years ago, it was a country in chaos. When I returned after 17 years of exile in Sweden, I was shocked by the state of affairs. That people have a hard time is well known, but it was very depressing and upsetting to see how bad it really was. The most obvious problems I saw were widespread prostitution and a huge drug problem. Most people in the western world have no idea what it is like. Despite severe punishments, drugs are almost everywhere. When the Islamic government took power, alcohol was banned, but drugs took its place.

“The authorities have lost control of the situation. Maybe they act this way knowingly. Drug addicts are passive. They do not protest social injustice.

“Prostitution Behind the Veil” won first prize at Marseille Festival International du Documentaire. It showed last night, repeat on Wednesday, on CBC.

“It is my hope that this film will make the world respond to the situation in Iran. Human rights are nonexistent there. People don’t matter in Iran. They have no hope left.

“More than half the population are children and young people who have never known what freedom or a normal life is like.

“My film should not just show how Iran changed after the revolution. The film will be shown in a number of countries and I hope the world will respond, not just watch.