Elly
(DARBĀREYE ELLY )
France, Iran 2009 | 115 Min. | 35 mm, OmU
Marzieh is a confident young woman; an actress, she lives in Tehran. As a modern Iranian, she fights against the current political and social circumstances that surround her in an effort to be herself living, loving, and working out of sight, behind locked doors. Like many other young Iranians, an artistic and creative life is one that can only be lived in hiding. Marzieh’s artistic undertakings and her desire for freedom make her everyday life noticeably more difficult. Her relationship with Saman an Iranian exile offers her the chance to escape the country and live a life of her own choosing without fear. “I always wanted to tell the story of my generation: the story of a life of double standards, contrasting lessons at home and in school, a life of lies and pretense…” – Granaz Moussavi
The film was directed under difficult conditions in Iran where the director lived until 1997 when she emigrated to Australia. MY TEHRAN FOR SALE is a nightmarish declaration of love to the filmmaker’s former home.