10/05/2026
Reflections on Kim Longinotto’s Divorce Iranian Style and Documentary Filmmaking in Iran
Rafiqfuad Yarahmadi
On 17/02/2017, we attended a masterclass with Kim Longinotto, a well-known feminist documentary director who has made many important films such as Dreamcatcher, Pink Saris, and Divorce Iranian Style.
Longinotto’s films mainly focus on gender differences and inequality between men and women in different countries including India, United States, Iran, and several others.
Before attending the masterclass, I had already watched some of her documentaries, including Pink Saris, Divorce Iranian Style, and Dreamcatcher. From these films, I could see that she is a brave woman, and during the session she confirmed this by speaking about the difficulties she had faced as a female filmmaker. These experiences strongly influenced both her filmmaking style and the subjects of her documentaries, which often explore the challenging situations faced by women in both developed and developing countries. These issues include divorce, drug abuse, prostitution, forced marriage, and social oppression.
She spoke in detail about her film Divorce Iranian Style and explained how she gained permission to film through her personal contacts in Iran. I believe she was very courageous to travel to such a politically sensitive country and make a documentary there. However, as someone who previously lived in Iran for around twenty-five years, I viewed the film differently. During the masterclass, there were moments when I found it difficult not to interrupt and share my own perspective.
For example, she described the Mullah judge featured in the documentary as a kind and supportive person who tried to help the filmmakers and allowed them to film freely in his office. It is understandable why she appreciated his cooperation. However, the reality is that these judges are not always so supportive or compassionate toward ordinary people who appear in their courts. More importantly, they operate under Islamic laws that, from a Western perspective, can conflict with women’s rights and equality. Although the documentary focuses closely on a few contributors, it does not fully show the broader negative effects that these laws can have on women’s lives in Iran as an Islamic state.
She also discussed the practical side of filming in small spaces such as the judge’s office. She mentioned that they used a small Sony 850 camera and that she was not overly concerned about achieving perfect image quality. Despite using relatively simple equipment, she had still managed to create several powerful and moving documentaries.
One issue that particularly concerned me was the possibility that the judge behaved differently in front of a European female filmmaker’s camera than he would in ordinary situations with Iranian citizens. In documentary filmmaking, it is extremely important to present reality truthfully and accurately. This becomes even more challenging in authoritarian or dictatorial countries, where authorities may attempt to censor filmmakers, restrict their access, or manipulate situations in order to create a more positive image of the government.
Iranian cinema, which began in the early twentieth century, once allowed actresses and filmmakers much greater freedom. Women could dress as they wished, and filmmakers had more creative independence. However, after the Islamic Revolution in 1979, actresses were required to wear hijab on screen, and filmmakers had to submit their scripts to government authorities for approval in order to ensure that their work complied with Islamic regulations.
As a result, many Iranian filmmakers developed creative ways to bypass censorship while still expressing their ideas. In reality, however, many artists became self-censors, altering or limiting their own work before the government could interfere or ban it.
I do not believe that Kim Longinotto intentionally ignored these realities, and perhaps she was not fully aware of the situation, especially since she mentioned that she does not usually conduct extensive research before making her films. Therefore, it is possible that the authorities deliberately selected a cooperative and “civilised” judge to appear in front of her camera. By doing this, the government could achieve two goals. Firstly, they would avoid the negative publicity that might come from refusing a Western filmmaker permission to film in Iran. Secondly, they could use the documentary itself as a form of positive propaganda for the regime.
Kim Longinotto also mentioned that the famous Iranian filmmaker Abbas Kiarostami did not believe they had been officially allowed to film openly in the court. He suspected that hidden cameras had been used instead. This reaction itself demonstrates how strict the Iranian government can be toward filmmakers and how limited artistic freedom often is within the country.
Overall, this masterclass was a valuable experience for me. It taught me the importance of conducting thorough research before making a documentary, especially when filming in politically sensitive regions. For example, if I were to make a documentary in East Kurdistan, I would first need to gain sufficient knowledge about the people, culture, politics, and locations before beginning the filming process.
