Daughters of the Sun

Daughters of the Sun

Directed by	Maryam Shahriar
Produced by	Jahangir Kosari
Written by	Maryam Shahriar
Starring	Altinay Ghelich Taghani Soghra Karimi Zahra Mohammadi Habib Haddad
Music by	Hossein Alizadeh
Release date	29 August 2000
Running time	92 minutes
Country	Iran
Language	Persian

Daughters of the Sun (Persian: دختران خورشید‎‎ Dakhtaran-e khorshid) is a 2000 Iranian drama movie written and directed by Maryam Shahriarm with Altinay Ghelich Taghani and Soghra Karimi in the lead. The movie was noted for successfully depicting the hardships faced by women in the rural economic conditions of Iran.^[1]

Synopsis

The film opens with the family of members of Amangol (Altinay Ghelich Taghani) shaving her head, disguises her as a boy, and sends her to a distant village to become an apprentice to a rug weaver. The employer is known for his harsh and suspicious behaviour towards his employees. He beats the workers for small infractions, withholds any letters they receive, and keeps the door to the small stone weaving hut locked from the outside. Amangol (who has taken the name Aman) finds comfort and solace in one the co-workers named Belghies (Soghra Karimi). A deep friendship blossoms between these ladies.

Cast

Altinay Ghelich Taghani as Amangol/Aman
Soghra Karimi as Belghies
Zahra Mohammadi
Habib Haddad

Reception

Daughters of the Sun was met with generally positive reviews even though critics billed it as an Iranian Boys Don't Cry and found it similar to Osama and Baran - two films released during the same time. Maryam Shahriar was appreciated for developing a highly haunting and poetic mood for the movie with effective use of imageries and with minimum use of dialogues.^[2] The New York Times said of Altinay Ghelich Taghani's performance, With her shaved head and staring eyes, Aman actually looks as if she had been stripped entirely of her sexuality, like a Holocaust victim.^[3] Chicago Reader said that Taghani's passive and powerful performance as Amangol reminded them of the title character in Carl Dreyer's The Passion of Joan of Arc.^[4]Variety applauded the technical aspects of the film, especially Homayoun Payvar's cinematography that beautifully conveyed the hardships of the characters.^[5] The movie currently holds a score of 65/100 in Metacritic.

Awards

Montréal First Film Prize in Montréal World Film Festival (2000) ^[6]
''Graine de Cinéphage Award - Special Mention in Créteil International Women's Film Festival (2001)
Grand Jury Award for Outstanding International Narrative Feature in L.A. Outfest (2002)^[7]
Netpac Award in Rotterdam International Film Festival (2001) ^[8]
Grand Prix Award in Bratislava International Film Festival (2001)

References

External links

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