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.

Title:

Director: Marziyeh Meshkini
Scriptwriter: Mohsen Makhmalbaf
Director of photography: Ebrahim Ghafouri
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
Cast: Fatemeh cheragh Akhar..... Hava
Shabnam Toloui ..... Woman in second Episode
Azizeh Sedighi ..... Old woman in third Episode
Production: Makhmalbaf Film House

IRAN, 2000
78 Mins, 35 mm, color.

International Sales: Makhmalbaf Film House (Iran)

Festivals:

1) 15th.International week of film critics, Venice. 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 Festival. Norway.2000
8) Sao Paolo International Film Festival, Brazil.2000
9) 44th London Film Festival, UK. 2000
10) Festival des Trois Continents (Nantes) France, 2000
11) International Women's Films Festival, France, 2008

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.