I speak out of the depth of nightout of the depth of darkness I speak.

If you come to my house, friend

Bring me a lamp and a window through which

I can look at the crowd in the happy alley

                                         .- Forough Farrokhzad, excerpt from the poem Window, 1963

Fascinated by Iran’s film culture and the poetic works of the feminist poet Forough Farrokhzad, Indian filmmaker Sreemoyee Singh sets out in search of the protagonists of Iranian cinema. The numerous interviews she conducts over a period of six years with filmmakers Jafar Panahi, Mohammad Shirvani and human rights activist Nasrin Sotudeh, among others, show the precarious situation in which critics of the regime find themselves, including the constant threat of imprisonment and being banned from practicing their profession. With a keen eye for unusual situations, she documents the effect of the Islamic Republic’s strict and omnipresent censorship on the daily lives of Iranian women whose uncompromising struggle has put them at the forefront of the protests that are currently rocking the country.

And, Towards Happy Alleys is a passionate declaration of love for the cinema and poetry of Iran which also provides a frank view of daily life, and bears witness to a fearless generation raising its voice and implacably demanding its civil liberties.

The crew includes:

Director/Producer : Sreemoyee Singh

Cinematographer: Sreemoyee Singh

Editor : Joydip Das, Pradyatan Bera

Music: Majdy

Sound Design: Anirban Borthakur

Colorist : Siddharth Meer, BridgePost Works

Executive Producers : Hussain Currimbhoy, Noopur Sinha, Orly Ravid

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About Cinema House:

G5A presents Cinema House: an opportunity to celebrate the experience of collective film viewing. For one weekend a month, our black box theatre transforms into a single-screen theatre dedicated to independent, regional, and contemporary cinema.