Our Times

Ruzegar-e Ma

After a seven-year hiatus from documentary filmmaking Rakhshan Banietemad set out to capture the hopes of a generation during the 2001 Iranian Presidential election.

A wave of hope swept through Iran in 2001, as the reform-minded Mohammad Khatami stood for President. He embodied the dreams of the younger generation, including the filmmaker’s daughter. But as she documented the campaign, Banietemad found herself increasingly drawn to another election candidate, 25-year-old widow Arezoo Bayat. As well as wanting to represent her country, Bayat struggles to better her own circumstances, coping with her nine-year-old daughter and blind mother, and desperately searching for an apartment they can live in. As Our Times progresses, Banietemad’s compassion for Bayat shines a light on the role women play in Iranian society and the way the system often works