Homa
Homa is a blind woman working in an addiction treatment center as a counselor. Homa and her husband Reza have an adventurous and full of excitement marriage. She believes that she will never get bored living with Reza. But it is not necessarily always a good thing.
Interview with Director Gelareh Abbasi
Congratulations! Why did you make your film?
As an actress and a director, I have always felt responsible towards women in my homeland. Establishing a cultural institution called “Sevina ”, a cinema for the blind, which particularly provides cultural products available for the blind, I decided to deal with blind women’s problems and limitations. This film is about a woman who tends to make efforts confidently in a traditional society in spite of her blindness; she is motivated and has a passion for life. She loves to have her own family, and more importantly, she has a social responsibility and concern to have a presence in society. Thus, she studies and works in a de-addiction camp.
Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this film?
I do want this film to be seen as it targets an international subject, and that is “human” with all its complexities. Humans' efforts for existence, efficiency, and life passion despite all the difficulties and limitations. In addition to that, it deals with “women” as an important subject. The relationships governing life and the relations between a man and a woman living together are all seen in this film.
You could see human’s internal reality and what we know as norms in a traditional society. Moreover, a woman’s position and status in a traditional society and her attempts for equality are clearly shown in this film.
How do personal and universal themes work in your film?
In this film, we have dealt with blindness limitations, addicted women, de-addiction camps, and the hardships women encounter in such situations in society.
How have the script and film evolved over the course of their development?
In fact, this film was being produced in the initial days of Covid 19; as a result, we came across various difficulties and problems while making the film in the de-addiction camp. It was in quarantine period, yet we were obliged to work. Covid 19 caused tremendous mental changes in our characters as their ideologies and attitudes towards life evolved greatly. Apparently, we entered a new phase regarding our knowledge of our surroundings with Covid 19.
What type of feedback have you received so far?
Literally, I haven’t watched the film in a public performance or with an audience yet. I hope I could see the film with a large number of people in the forthcoming months and get their feedback in person.
What are you looking to achieve by having your film more visible on www.wearemovingstories.com?
In fact, I would love this film to be seen in various countries so that I could have different feedback coming from different cultures and viewpoints. I look forward to receiving global concepts and various reviews from international critics.
Who do you need to come on board (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists) to amplify this film’s message?
Our film is actually a feminine film about a blind woman called Homa. The composer of this film is a blind musician by the name of Mahgol Moghtader, an able and talented young Iranian woman. We rarely see the name of a blind woman among film composers; hence, I do want to promote the names of these strong women who have participated in my film project. Their names must be heard and seen internationally.
Would you like to add anything else?
I am glad that we have a chance to exchange ideas with other countries.
I do appreciate that you considered our documentary and hope we could make more work cooperating with other countries.
What other projects are the key creatives developing or working on now?
Our next projects will be making efforts to make cinema available for blind people. We are trying to develop and increase the blind’s presence in the cinema, not only as an audience but also as a producer, filmmaker, actor, etc. We are looking forward to their further cooperation and participation. We hope to benefit from the international cinema and other countries’ support and contribution to reach our goal which is “Cinema for everyone regardless of any limitation”.
Interview: July 2023
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Homa
Homa is a blind woman working in an addiction treatment center as a counselor. Homa and her husband Reza have an adventurous and full of excitement marriage. She believes that she will never get bored living with Reza. But it is not necessarily always a good thing.
Length: 47:00
Director: Gelareh Abbasi
Producer: Dorsai Shafei
Writer: Pejman Teymourtash
About the writer, director and producer:
GELAREH ABBASSI is a prominent Iranian filmmaker and an advocate for accessibility in cinema, focusing on themes like gender, disability, and social justice. She founded Sevina Group, raising awareness for visually impaired audiences and providing a platform for the blind. Abbassi has participated in numerous international film festivals and conferences, showcasing her commitment to diversity and representation. Her legacy continues to inspire future filmmakers and advocates for accessibility in cinema.
Key cast: Gelareh Abbasi (Director), Dorsai Shafei(Producer), Pejman Teymourtash(Director’s Consultant), Katayoun Arsanjani ( Line Producer ) - Gelareh Kiazand (Cinematographer) - Hamid Najafi Rad (Editor) - Erfan Ebrahimi (Sound Mixer) - Mahmoud Kashani (Sound)
Looking for: film festival directors, distributors, buyers, journalisrs
Instagram: @gelarehabbasi
Website: raftfilms.com/films/homa
Other: IMDb