Iranian Film Director Banietemad Attends Funeral Without Hijab

November 28, 2023

1 min read

Images of Banietemad at the on November 28 funeral of actress Bita Farahi without a head covering were widely shared on social media, garnering positive reactions from many Iranians

Prominent Iranian film director and screenwriter Rakhshan Banietemad has attended a funeral ceremony without wearing the mandatory headscarf, defying a ban on women artists who appear in public without hijab.

Images of Banietemad at the on November 28 funeral of actress Bita Farahi without a head covering were widely shared on social media, garnering positive reactions from many Iranians.

Officials of the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance have repeatedly warned women cinematographers that they would face bans if they fail to wear a hijab in public places.

Cinematographers have played a pivotal role in supporting the Woman, Life, Freedom protest movement, with some refusing to wear a head covering in public in solidarity with the demonstrators.

Several of these artists have been temporarily detained by the security and intelligence agencies, and banned from continuing their activities.

Baran Kosari, Vishka Asayesh, Taraneh Alidoosti, Ketayoun Riahi, Panthea Bahram, Fatemeh Motamed-Arya, Afshaneh Baygan, Hengameh Ghaziani, Pegah Ahangarani, Maryam Bobani and Shaghayegh Dehghan are among the cinematographers who have been punished for defying the Islamic Republic’s strict dress code.