It Turns Blue
Pari covers up domestic violence when her brother beats up his 3 years old daughter.
Interview with Writer/Director/Producer Shadi Karamroudi
Congratulations! Why did you make your film?
These days, violence against women and children is rather a hot topic around the world. In every violence case, there is a perpetrator of violence who causes the physical or emotional injuries and often is the one who is blamed more for the incident, but there is also another role who leads the reproduction of the violence and helps the vicious cycle to continue: The one who conceals the violence.
In Iran, as a patriarchal country, tradition and religion often crosses over and empower each other to encourage the society to hide and cover up the violence against the weaker ones who are mostly women and children and it happens in the name of society’s benefits. Mothers encourage their daughters to be silent against their husband’s misbehaviors and children are usually told that violence from their parents is part of their unconditional love and care for their futures.
As a filmmaker who tries to see her society, I often think of the concealers as dangerous as the perpetrators themselves; as perpetrators are usually known as the main factor of the violence and face the disapproval of people around, but concealers are hidden under the mask of a friend: a wolf in sheep’s clothing and even though most of them are women who have been the subjects of misbehavior and violence at one point in their lives themselves. It doesn’t legitimize their actions and diminish their dangerous impact on empowering the cycle of violence. Therefore I decided to focus on this issue in my current project and tried to narrate my story through the one who covers up the violence.
Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this film?
I believe that most of our actions during our lives happen unconsciously. We may have concealed or covered up violence without even noticing it or we may have hurt a victim of violence by neglecting her/him. Although some audiences may find my film upsetting, I think it may affect the audience's consciousness and remind them of the sensitivity of this issue.
How do personal and universal themes work in your film?
This film actually is a showcase of all my hopes for a better Iran. The little girl in my film who has just started to talk, stands for her rights and speaks of the violence that she has tolerated. Even though her aunt tries her best to conceal the domestic violence, the blue rain in the final scene indicates that the truth won’t be hidden forever.
I also believe that it could be a hope for a better world as well. Nowadays people all around the world are rising up for their rights and revealing the truth. Take the stories of rape victims and specifically the ME TOO movement as an example. I believe the dark ages of concealing and covering up are near to an end and a brighter future may finally come up after centuries of hidden violence.
How have the script and film evolved over the course of their development?
I have worked through a one-line story to a short synopsis and then a full script step by step for about 3 months. From there, I involved the whole team and we created the film with great teamwork. I believe that the quality of the film is as important as the original idea and a professional team can help the director to make the best of her/his ideas.
What type of feedback have you received so far?
The festival journey of my film has just begun and I will have more audiences during the next couple of months, but I am glad that so far I was able to communicate efficiently through my film with my audiences (who right now are mostly festival programmers) and they could connect with the concept of my film and its complex subject.
Has the feedback surprised or challenged your point of view?
When I was making this film, I was under the impression that the upsetting nature of my story might decline the interest of the audience, but now I am so glad that the audiences of my film can see my hopes and wishes for a better world through my film.
What are you looking to achieve by having your film more visible on www.wearemovingstories.com?
I am looking for more international audiences and I would love for my film to connect with people universally.
Who do you need to come on board (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists) to amplify this film’s message?
I have distributed this film by myself and now I am seeking an international sales agency to come on board with our team.
What type of impact and/or reception would you like this film to have?
I generally like the audience to think of any kind of covering up the violence as a lead to the reproduction of it that helps the vicious cycle to continue.
What’s a key question that will help spark a debate or begin a conversation about this film?
What do you do if you catch your loved one hurting someone else?
What other projects are the key creatives developing or working on now?
My future project would be my debut feature film and I’m looking forward to co-producing it internationally.
Interview: March 2023
We Are Moving Stories embraces new voices in drama, documentary, animation, TV, web series, music video, women's films, LGBTQIA+, POC, First Nations, scifi, supernatural, horror, world cinema. If you have just made a film - we'd love to hear from you. Or if you know a filmmaker - can you recommend us? More info: Carmela
It Turns Blue
Pari covers up domestic violence when her brother beats up his 3 years old daughter.
Length: 15:00
Director: Shadi Karamroudi
Producer: Shadi Karamroudi, Mehran Noori, Mina Dreki and Theodora Valentis
Writer: Shadi Karamroudi
About the writer, director and producer:
SHADI KARAMROUDI (b. 1990) is an Iranian actress, director and screenwriter. She has graduated with a master’s degree in Dramatic Literature from Soore University, Tehran- Iran in 2020. She has played in many significant feature films and has directed 3 short films which have been globally recognized.
Key cast: Leili Rashidi (Pari) , Mansour Nasiri (Morteza) , Hana Dezhagah (Raha)
Looking for: sales agents and buyers
Instagram: @shadi_karamroudi
Hashtags used: #itturnsblueshortfilm
Other: IMDb
Where can I watch it next and in the coming month?
SXSW / United States,Austin,Texas/ March 11, 2023 & March 15, 2023
Fribourg Film Festival / Switzerland, Fribourg / March 18,2023
Busan International Short Film Festival / South Korea, Busan / no schedule available yet