The Day I Became a Woman Q&A Session

Beautiful hair sliding out halfway from the shawl over her handsome face; the director appeared on the stage and the audience welcomed her with great applause. The first question came from a woman who asked her about the hardship of being a female director in Iran. She had to repeatedly remind the staff every morning that she was the director, the current situation in Iran being that there are only ten female directors whereas there are five hundred of the opposite sex. That notwithstanding, Meshkini then asked the audience in return; "Wasn't it women's lack of confidence itself which contributed to create such situation?" She softly rebutted the question by saying that she receives the same question at every film festival. To a question asking whether Islamic traditions should be kept or not, she responded that "Criticizing Islam or Iranian society was not my intention. Rather, it's the system we know as tradition that takes away women's freedom. I wanted to universally portr! ay the situation in which women all over the world are put." She then discussed the beauty of the island of Kish, the only duty-free zone in Iran, and mentioned that filming was possible because, although forbidden in Tehran, women can ride bicycles freely on the island. "Regardless of sex, what remains at the end of one's life is one's dreams." Her words left the audience with a strong impression.