Zinat: One Special Day

VHS video, color, 2000, 54 minutes. Available from First Run / Icarus Films, 32 Court Street, 21st Floor, Brooklyn NY 11201. Website: http://www.frif.com.

Reviewed by Aaris Sherin,
Department of Art,
University of Northern Iowa,
Cedar Falls, IA 50614-0362, U.S.A.

aaris.sherin@uni.edu

As woman in a small village in southern Iran, Zinat was married at thirteen and made history six years later by being the first woman to remove her borgheh (the mask that women are required to wear in some countries from the time they are married until they die) in order to become a health care worker. In 1999, Zinat became a candidate for the first local council election to be held in 20 years. In this film, on the day of that election, Zinat and her family are observed in real time going about their daily tasks while waiting for the poll results. Zinat’s home becomes an open forum where fellow villagers stop by to voice their reactions to her candidacy. One visitor tries to convince Zinat to withdraw from the election and, instead, to be content with her husband serving on the council. This man argues that a woman’s place is in the home, and that she should properly behave like any domestic animal, remaining docile and pious as she responds to the orders of governing males. Zinat considers the concerns of each visitor with graciousness, while also steadfastly defending the stance that she is the best candidate to bring much needed change to the Salakh and the surrounding villages. Throughout this thought provoking film, Zinat is depicted as an outspoken woman who is successfully challenging tradition and will eventually have an effect on the growth of her community.

(Reprinted by permission from Ballast Quarterly Review, Vol. 19, No. 1, Autumn 2003.)