This screening is part of Filmfest Aachen 2025

My Stolen Planet

Iran, 2024, 82 min, Farahnaz Sharifi, Farsi
Original Version with english subtitles

+ Short Film

The House is Black

Iran, 1963, 20 min, Forugh Farrokhzad, Farsi

Iranian cinema has long echoed with defiance. In a country where filmmaking is often an act of subversion, directors have learned to create under censorship, surveillance, and the threat of imprisonment. From Jafar Panahi smuggling This is Not a Film out on a USB hidden in a cake, to anonymous videos shared during protests, the act of image-making in Iran is always more than representation, it is resistance. The House is Black and My Stolen Planet emerge from this legacy. Forugh Farrokhzad's The House is Black is a pioneering work of Iranian feminist cinema, set in a leprosy colony. Through lyrical narration and strong visuals, she gives voice to those cast out by society creating a radical act of empathy and rupture.

Farahnaz Sharifi's My Stolen Planet, made six decades later, continues this feminist resistance. Weaving Super 8 home movies, personal archives, and quiet gestures of everyday life, the film becomes a counter-history to the Islamic Republic. It bears witness to Iran's current uprisings, especially the women-led Jin, Jiyan, Azadi movement.

Iranian cinema has long carried the spirit of resistance. In a country where filmmaking itself can be a subversive act, directors have learned to create powerful works under censorship, surveillance and the threat of imprisonment. From Jafar Panahi smuggling This is Not a Film out of the house in a cake to anonymously shared videos of protests, the creation of images in Iran is always more than mere representation, it is an act of resistance. The House is Black and My Stolen Planet emerge from this legacy. Forugh Farrokhzad's The House is Black is considered a groundbreaking work of feminist Iranian cinema. Shot in a leper colony, the film gives a voice to those who have been erased from social memory.

Farahnaz Sharifi's My Stolen Planet, made six decades later, continues this feminist lineage. Super 8 films, private archives and everyday gestures are used to create a counter-memory to official historiography. The film bears witness to current uprisings in Iran, in particular the Jin, Jiyan and Azadi movements led by women.

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