Reflections from the Unseen World: Films by Women of the Ummah—The Day I Became a Woman

Presented in conjunction with Women Defining Women in Contemporary Art of the Middle East and Beyond, this series showcases feature films by women who were born or live in what can broadly be termed Islamic societies. Frequently perceived as voiceless and invisible, they are neither. Reflections from the Unseen World, programmed by LACMA Assistant Curator of Film Matazi Weathers, is presented at Lumiere Music Hall and features filmmakers from Iran, Morocco, and North America. About the Film The Day I Became a Woman (روزی که زن شدم, Roozi ke zan shodam) Directed by Marzieh Meshkini Iran, 2000, 74 minutes In Persian with English subtitles "Eastern societies face a number of elementary problems in spite of their rich cultural backgrounds and their exotic charm. Being a woman constitutes one of these problems, so much so that people begin to worry about a baby girl from the moment she is born, and at times the mother is consoled with the expression of hope that her next baby will be a boy. Women are given minor roles in society, and consequently they are transformed from producers into mere consumers and burdens to the productive segment of the society. That is why the birth of a girl is considered an increase in the number of consumers of the family income. At the same time, the attitude of society towards women is emotional; women are either mothers or mistresses, and that is why every man tries to gain exclusive possession of his mother and mistress. As a result, home becomes the safest place where women can be preserved. The Day I Became a Woman depicts the position of women for whom their gender poses a social problem. The film focuses on the lives of women who are imprisoned in the house, not because they are hated but because they are loved—women who have to forego emotional attachments in order to win individual independence and active social positions." —Marzieh Meshkini This film is episodic and it consists of three stories about the women’s situation in Iran: First story: Hava One morning a small girl named Hava wakes up and notices that she has become a woman because she is now nine years old, and playing in the streets with the boys is considered a sin from that day on. Hava cries and asks her grandmother to go to the street for one last goodbye with the boys. Second story: Ahoo This episode is about a young lady whom participates in the women’s bicycle race with her black traditional chador (veil). Her husband, while riding a horse, threatens to divorce her if she doesn’t get off the bicycle. Third story: Houra This episode is about an old woman whom has inherited some money during the last years of her life after years of poverty, and now she has decided to spend all the money before she dies and to buy all the things that she always wished to buy during her life.