Cutting Through Rocks

About this event

The documentary follows Sara Shahverdi, the first woman elected to the council of a remote village in north‑west Iran. She learned to ride a motorcycle from her father — a small favour that enraged the neighbours but opened a path beyond a patriarchal marriage. As a midwife she delivered countless baby girls, and now she fights just as fiercely for their independence: she teaches teenage girls to ride, campaigns against child marriage, and runs for the local council. Sara Khaki and Mohammadreza Eyni filmed Shahverdi over seven years, returning again and again to her village. The result is a precise documentary that records everyday hostility as carefully as it documents gestures of solidarity. Shahverdi herself is a calm, stubborn presence who tells her audiences, “You all have to want change” — a challenge that reaches beyond the screen. The screening will be followed by a discussion with Mahsa Hadadi (teacher, activist and feminist) and Mehdi Nosratlu of naxos.Kino, unpacking the political and social backdrop of the images. The evening is organised in cooperation with “Pupille” – Kino in der Uni.