1001 FRAMES

An acclaimed Iranian filmmaker holds a casting call for the role of Scheherazade in a new film adaptation of One Thousand and One Nights – the most renowned Arabian collection in the Western world. The actresses auditioning for the role parade in front of the camera lens, along with his ex-wife, whose career went up in flames after the divorce. As time goes by, the filmmaker, a figure we never get to see, becomes increasingly coercive, gradually unveiling his true intentions. Filmed without a permit in Iran and with a non-professional cast, the feature debut of the Iranian-American filmmaker Mehrnoush Alia is an innovative mockumentary of experimental form, emerging in the aftermath of the #MeToo movement and the recent plagiarism accusations against some of the country’s most illustrious male directors. Serving as an excellent commentary on the inherently authoritarian relationship between a filmmaker and an actor, the recurring roles Iranian women are forced to play, and the oppression they endure even within artistic circles that are, theoretically, more progressive, the film delivers an emotional crescendo and a cathartic plot twist that will stay with you long after the end credits.