HUBUN, an Experimental Short Film on Iran’s Woman, Life, and Freedom Movement

The first edition of the Woman, Life, Freedom International Film and Visual Arts Festival will hold its award ceremony on January 19 in Vancouver, canada.

Hundreds of short films were submitted, including fiction, animations, documentaries, video art and music videos, “portraying the resilience and strength of the human spirit in everyday challenges.” 

The selection includes “HUBUN or trying to be useful,” a 19-minute experimental film that tells the story of “a cat girl…who notices the execution of her political lover” during the 2022 Woman, Life, Freedom uprising in Iran.

While the cat prepares to leave her Tehran house to participate in street protests, she is arrested and “experiences the process of the revolution and the oppression of the government.”

This film was made by the 32-year-old director Hamed Mosalaei and produced by Shabnam Alaei. 

Mosalaei hails from a family deeply immersed in the world of cinema. His mother is the niece of Masoud Jafari Jozani, a renowned figure in Iranian cinema; his uncle Reza Jafari Jozani is also a renowned film director. 

Mosalaei entered the cinematic arena at the age of 17 as an assistant director. 

He was arrested in Iran for producing a music program for the London-based, Persian-language news channel Iran International.

In an Interview with IranWire, Mosalaei spoke extensively about his engagement in the Woman, Life, Freedom protest movement, which was sparked by the September 2022 death in police custody of a 22-year-old woman.

"When I learned about Mahsa Amini's death, I was at a party…everything came to a halt. We abandoned the celebration and hit the streets because the killing of this young woman couldn't be ignored. It wasn't about choosing a cause or fighting for rights; it was about someone senselessly losing her life," he said. 

On the second day of protests, as he was returning home, Mosalaei witnessed an incident that gave him the inspiration to make the film HUBUN.

"My house was in one of the dead-end alleys around Enghelab Square…tear gas was thrown into our alley. The house is an old construction, and the gas entered inside from under the door," he recounted. 

"I had four cats, and their eyes burned from the gas. Witnessing their suffering was heartbreaking. That's when I felt the intrusion into our privacy. We didn't ask for anything unusual in life, yet they disrupted our ordinary lives," he added. 

Mosalaei has been collaborating closely with Alaei for seven years. 

"Our most significant challenge in filmmaking and production, aside from financial constraints, was to find individuals willing to collaborate with us," he said. "This task proved daunting in a society plagued by widespread repression, where people faced summonses and arrests merely for sharing stories and ordinary posts on social media.” 

Mosalaei said that HUBUN “was conceived and crafted based on our real-life experiences."

"The film was independently produced, untethered to external influences. It's an experimental piece with an anti-narrative perspective that seeks to capture the events happening outside that house," he added. 

IranWire also interviewed Alaei, the producer of the film, who said that, following the eruption of the nationwide  protests, internet access was cut off.

"Everything came to a standstill. Our sole possessions were our cameras. Although we felt compelled to join protests, cry, and contemplate taking action, we were unable to bring our cameras along," she said. 

"I recall being confined to our house, and officers would follow us when we left our rubbish at the door. This situation prompted us to document these narratives," Alaei added. 

Confinement at home exacerbated the mental strain on Alaei and her friends. However, after a period of stagnation, she collaborated with Mosalaei on HUBUN. 

"Previously, Hamed had written screenplays, and we started work on them. Unfortunately, due to the lack of funding or sponsors, these projects never materialized. This time around, we decided not to wait for a sponsor. As his long-time friend and colleague, I chose to stand by his side as a producer," Alaei explained. 

Alaei actively participated in the Woman, Life, Freedom movement demanding more freedoms and women’s rights. 

Women in Iran are navigating in public spaces, “constantly worrying about morality police vans, scrutinizing their attire and contemplating the risk of being apprehended," she said

Over the years, Iranian women have been stripped of their identity and, with the Woman, Life, Freedom movement, they had an opportunity to vocalize their pain, Alaei said.