Completed - PERSIAN - Documentary - 60 minutes
Fest of Duty, is about a religious ceremony in Iran designed to instil Islamic beliefs and valuesinto girls, when they reach the age of nine. The documentary follows two adolescent girls as theytransition into adulthood, eight years after their official Fest of Duty.
Year of production : 2014 Director(s) : Firouzeh KHOSROVANI
The hall is packed with chattering Iranian schoolgirls wearing lilac robes and white hijabs. Animam explains to them that at nine years old they have reached the “age of duty.” This, he says,is the moment at which puberty begins, bringing with it all the accompanying religious precepts.Carefree days are over, and from now on the angel on the right shoulder and the devil on the leftwill be there watching, weighing up good and evil. At the instigation of the imam, the girlsdutifully chant when they should or should not wear the hijab. Greeted by loud cheering, awhipped cream version of the Kaaba is sliced up. The scenes of this school ceremony wererecorded in 2005. Eight years later, filmmaker Firouzeh Khosrovani visits two of the children shefilmed: the cousins and former best friends Melika and Maryam. What’s been happening tothem in the meantime? In the intimate confines of their own surroundings, the two youngwomen talk about their past and present, and how they see their future. Maryam wears herhijab with full conviction and shares her existential doubts with God. Melika dreams of a careeras an actress, paints her nails, and posts selfies on Instagram.
Country(ies) : IRAN
IDFA 2014 (Oxfam Global Justice Award)