Breaking Down Barriers                        by Scott Bobb

Efforts to liberalize Iran's economy have made little progress.

But in the arts, there has been a significant departure from strict Islamist codes imposed following the Iranian revolution 20 years ago. Middle East Correspondent Scott Bobb reports on a group of women filmmakers who have broken down some of the barriers, although they still face considerable obstacles in their work.

NARRATION
Iranian women filmmakers face many obstacles in their art. Religious codes restrict their behavior in public. And many topics important to women are forbidden.

But some women are pushing the limits set by government censors.

In an office in Tehran, one of Iran's best-known women filmmakers, Puran Derakhshandeh (POOH-rahn Deh-RAH-shahn-deh) is casting her latest film. It's about a divorced woman who agrees to a temporary marriage to support her family.

It's a daring movie, because it deals with two subjects that have been taboo in Iranian cinema: divorce and temporary marriage. Both are allowed in Islam. But critics say they are abused and often leave women destitute and disgraced.

PURAN DERAKHSHANDEH (In English)
"I'm looking for eyes, her eyes. It's very important in this movie."

NARRATION
Government censors are allowing Pouran to make this film, called "Candle in the Wind." But she will have to go back for permission to show it in theaters.

Pouran's films often focus on women's problems. Her last one, "Love Across Frontiers," tells the story of an American married to an Iranian who flees Tehran during the Iran-Iraq War to protect her son. She moves to California, but soon finds him falling victim to another war, this one between gangs in Los Angeles.

This was the first film since the Iranian revolution to show a woman with her head uncovered. And it was the first to show physical contact between a man and a woman, in this case, a hug.

The film was a hit in Iran although many scenes had to be cut to get it past the censors. It was Pouran's first film in ten years. For a long time, she couldn't get permission to make a movie, and so, left Iran

But with the election of President Mohamed Khattami, she's back. At a meeting with her chief photographer, she's excited.

PURAN DERAKHSHANDEH (in Farsi):
"The atmosphere is more open today. I'm very happy about where I'm working now."

NARRATION
Twenty years after the Iranian revolution, some things are the same. The government still vehemently opposes the Middle East peace process.

NATURAL SOUND - Crowd chanting

NARRATION
And state-organized demonstrations, though fewer than before, still attack Israel and the United States.

Political reform in recent months has been stalled by a crackdown on the media that closed most reformist newspapers and imprisoned several prominent journalists.

But, under President Khattami, the arts have blossomed. Dance and music, which were severely restricted, are now allowed. And Tehran's one year-old music house holds regular concerts.

Women no longer have to cover themselves with the black, hooded chador.
Many women use only a headscarf and coat, which are becoming more and more colorful.

And the chic boutiques of Tehran's Vanak Street vaunt new styles, which test the limits.

Unmarried couples, who once risked a night in prison for being together in public, today mingle with less fear. And the feared morality vigilantes are seen less and less often.

Iran's women are in the forefront of this struggle for freedom.

In cinema, likewise, the boundaries are being tested by the younger generation. At a workshop in north Tehran, Pouran mentors several young directors. Safoura Ahmadi is finishing up her short film about a paralyzed girl who befriends a group of children at the beach.

Shohre Lorestani is an established actress and theater director who's trying to break into cinema. She's just finished her first major film, a half-hour piece on aging called "Grandma," that will be shown on TV soon.

Shohre is frustrated by government censorship and by discrimination in this male-dominated society. Pouran tried to encourage her.

PURAN DERAKHSHANDEH (in Farsi)
"There is awareness in your film. And for this reason I think you will be even more creative in the future, God willing."

NARRATION
But these are not the biggest problems for this budding filmmaker.

SHOHRE LORESTANI (in Farsi):
"The biggest obstacle is financial problems. Money."

NARRATION
Iranian cinema is booming. But this cultural blossoming has its critics. President Khatami's minister of culture is under constant fire from conservatives, who want him sacked.

But even conservatives appear to realize that Iran's younger generation is determined to have more freedom. And as long as this doesn't threaten their hold on political power they seem inclined, though reluctantly, to go along.

Scott Bobb, VOA-TV, Tehran.

To learn more about Iran, see:
- Permanent Mission of the Islamic Republic of Iran to the United Nations - http://www.un.int/iran/
The Embassy of The Islamic Republic of Iran in Ottawa - http://www.salamiran.org/
- Library of Congress - http://lcweb2.loc.gov/frd/cs/irtoc.html
- Iran Daily newspaper - http://www.iran-daily.com/
- World Factbook - http://www.odci.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/ir.html