Makhmalbaf Family Official Website - وبسایت رسمی خانه فیلم مخملباف

The Day I Became A Woman

 

Synopsis:

This film is episodic and it consists of 3 stories about the women’s situation in Iran.

First story: Hava

One morning a small girl named Hava wakes up and notices that she has become a woman because she is now 9 years old and playing in the streets with the boys is considered a sin from that day on. Hava cries and asks her grandmother to go to the street for one last goodbye with the boys.

Second story: Ahoo
This episode is about a young lady whom participates in the women’s bicycle race with her black traditional chador (veil) and her husband, while riding a horse, threatens to divorce her if she doesn’t get off the bicycle.

Third story: Houra
This episode is about an old woman whom has inherited some money during the last years of her life after years of poverty and now she has decided to spend all the money before she dies and to buy all the stuff that she always wished to buy during her life.

 

International Awards: 
  1. Prize to the best first feature film assigned by the young jury of CINEMAVENIRE from 15th.International week of film critics, Venice. Italy .2000
  2. Prize ISVEMA of 100,000,000 Italian lira of commercial promotion on the private televisions associated with Isvema itself, assigned by the jury of the national Syndicate of Italian Film Critics, for its: "poetical representation of woman condition in nowadays Iranian society" from 15th.International week of film critics, Venice. Italy.2000
  3. Prize CICT-UNESCO of the International Council of Cinema and Television within UNESCO has awarded its prize for the following motivation: "for its honesty and for the quality of vision on the woman condition in Iran" from 15th.International week of film critics, Venice. Italy .2000 
  4. The Volkswagen Discovery Award from Toronto International Film Festival. Canada. 2000
  5. The gold plaque for Best First Film from Chicago International Film Festival .USA. 2000
     
  6. The Best Asian Film from Pusan International Film Festival.Korea.2000
  7. The Prize of the International Film Critics (FIPRESCI Prize) from Films from the south Festival. Norway.2000
  8. Special Jury award from Festival des Trois Continents (Nantes) France, 2000.
  9. Special young Jury award from Festival des Trois Continents (Nantes) France, 2000
  10. Golden Plaque of ville De Nantes from Festival des Trois Continents (Nantes) France, 2000 
     
  11. Best Director Award from Thesaloniki International Film Festival, Greece. 2000.
  12. First prize from Novo Cinema International Film Festival, Belgium, 2001
  13. Cine Tirol Verleiher Preis from Innsbruck International film festival, Austria, 2001.

 

Director's View: 

Eastern societies face a number of elementary problems in spite of their rich cultural backgrounds and their exotic charm. Being a woman constitutes one of these problems so much so that people begin to worry about a baby girl from the moment she is born, and at times the mother is consoled with the expression of hope that her next baby will be a boy. Women are given minor roles in society, and consequently they are transformed from producers into mere consumers and burdens to the productive segment of the society. That is why the birth of a girl is considered an increase in the number of consumers of the family income.
At the same time, the attitude of society towards women is emotional; women are either mothers or mistresses, and that is why every man tries to gain exclusive possession of his mother and mistress. As a result home becomes the safest place where women can be preserved.
"Day I Became a Woman" depicts the position of women for whom their gender poses a social problem. The film focuses on the lives of women who are imprisoned in the house, not because they are hated but because they are loved -- women who have to forego emotional attachments in order to win individual independence and active social positions.

Titles: 

Original Title: Rouzi Ke Zan Shodam
 
Director: Marziyeh Meshkiny
 
Cast:
Fatemeh cheragh Akhar : Hava
Shabnam Toloui : Woman in second Episode
Azizeh Sedighi : Old woman in third Episode
 
Scriptwriter: Mohsen Makhmalbaf
Director of photography: Ebrahim Ghafouri
Cameraman: Mohammad Ahmadi
Sound: Behrouz Shahamat
Music: Mohammad Reza Darvishi
Assistant Director: Mojtaba Mirtahmasb
Script Supervisor : Hana Makhmalbaf
Still photographer: Maysam Makhmalbaf, Hana Makhmalbaf
Post production sound engineering: Hossein Mahdavi
Editors: Shahrzad Poya, Maysam Makhmalbaf
Set Designer: Akbar Meshkini
Production: Makhmalbaf Film House
International Sales: Makhmalbaf Film House (UK)
78 Mins, 35 mm, Color, Iran, 2000.

Festivals: 
  1. Venice International Film Festival, Italy 2000
  2. Toronto International Film Festival, Canada 2000
  3. Chicago International Film Festival, USA 2000
  4. Festival International Cinema Nouveaux Medias Montreal, Canada 2000
  5. Vancouver International Film Festival, Canada 2000
  6. Pusan International Film Festival, Korea 2000
  7. Films from the south International Film Festival, Norway 2000
  8. Sao Paolo International Film Festival, Brazil 2000
  9. London Film Festival, UK 2000
  10. Festival des Trois Continents (Nantes), France 2000
     
  11. Boston Contemporary Art Museum, USA 2000 
  12. Tessaloniki International Film Festival, Greece 2000
  13. Tokyo FILMeX International Film Festival, Japan 2000
  14. Taipei International Film Festival, Taiwan 2000
  15. Gothenburg International Film Festival, Sweden 2001
  16. Palm Spring International Film Festival, USA 2001
  17. Heuston Contemporary Art Museum, Italy 2001
  18. Novo Cinema International Film Festival, Belgium, 2001
  19. Hong Kong International Film Festival, Hong Kong 2001
  20. New York International Film Festival, USA 2001
     
  21. Night International Film Festival, Denmark 2001
  22. Singapore International Film Festival, Singapore 2001
  23. Women International Film Festival, South Korea 2001
  24. The Buenos Aires Festival Internacional de Cine Independiente, Argantina 2001
  25. Istanbul International Film Festival, Turkey 2001
  26. Barbican International Film Festival, UK 2001
  27. Moscow International Film Festival, Russia 2001
  28. Sydney International Film Festival, Australia 2001
  29. Innsbruck International Film Festival, Austria 2001
  30. New Zealand International Film Festival, New Zealand 2001
     
  31. Galway International Film Festival, United Kingdom 2001
  32. Tbilisi International Film Festival, Georgia 2001
  33. Cairo International Film Festival, Egypt 2001
  34. Sarajevo International Film Festival, Bosnia 2001
  35. Bergen International Film Festival, Norway 2001
  36. Bangkok International Film Festival, Tailand 2001
  37. Mumbai International Film Festival, India 2001
  38. Bratislava International Film Festival, Slovakia 2001
  39. Belgrade International Film Festival, Yugoslavia 2002
  40. Skopje International Film Festival, Macedonia 2002
     
  41. Kerala International Film Festival, India 2002
  42. bologena International Film Festival, Italy 2002
  43. Tubingen International Film Festival, Germany 2002
  44. Women International Film Festival, France 2008
  45. Hong Kong International Film Festival, Hong Kong 2014