Based on her own adolescent experiences, Sadaf Foroughi’s Ava is a gripping debut about a young girl’s coming-of-age in a strict, traditional society. Living with her well-to-do parents in Tehran, Ava is a bright and focused teen whose concerns — friendships, music, social status, academic performance — resemble that of nearly any teenager. When Ava’s mistrustful and overprotective mother questions her relationship with a boy — going so far as to visit a gynecologist – Ava is overwhelmed by a newfound rage. Formerly a model student, Ava begins to rebel against the strictures imposed by her parents, her school, and the society at large.
Director's Statement:
Ava is a women-driven coming-of-age drama which has the cinematographic aesthetic of a country in which there are restrictions on portraying women. The film tells the story of a teenage girl who is banished from all social institutions simply because she wants to be different. My main inspiration in making Ava is to examine the role and influence of women in the society. In this respect, my point of departure is a mother and a daughter in a small society called home. Mother as a person who gives birth to and nurtures her daughter as the generation that follows her own. Written and directed in the form of a musical variation, Ava pictures the possibilities in a society where external determination has become so overwhelming that the inner-motive forces have lost their weight.
SPONSORS:
MSP IRANIAN FILM FESTIVAL
The Iranian Culture House and the Film Society of Minneapolis St. Paul will present the first Twin Cities’ Iranian Film Festival, featuring the best contemporary Iranian cinema never before been seen in Minnesota.
Browse MSP Iranian Film Festival