AND, TOWARDS HAPPY ALLEYS
A film by Sreemoyee Singh
World Premiere, Berlinale, February 2023
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 practising 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.
Reviews
English
CinemaExpress: Berlinale 2023: And, Towards Happy Alleys - Melodies and movies of resistance
ASAP ART: A Love Letter in Camera
NDTV: MAMI 2023: Top Ten Discoveries At The Festival
Times of India: Kolkata girl’s documentary on Iran, made with jailed Panahi, goes to Berlinale
Times of India: After Jafar Panahi's release, Kolkata director recalls tryst with Iranian legend
Journey into Cinema: Further Adventures in the Panorama Section: Women Strike Back
rediff.com: When a country erases its filmmakers
Goethe Institute: Longing melodies from a torn country
Modern Times Review: The voice of freedom
German
Tagesspiegel: Regisseurin Sreemoyee Singh: Verliebt in das iranische Kino
Neues Deutschland: Iran: »In der Poesie steckt Widerstand«
Spanish
Página12: Un regalo para el espectador cinéfilo
Portuguese
Meio Amargo:A poesia dos oprimidos
Insider: Sreemoyee Singh no MDOC: “Considero-me uma realizadora acidental”
Insider: MDOC testemunhou os ventos de mudança da sociedade iraniana
Italian
Close Up: And, Towards Happy Alleys di Sreemoyee Singh (Festival di Berlino – Panorama Dokumente)
Hindi