Iranian authorities have brought charges against prominent filmmaker Rakhshan Banietemad and her actress daughter Baran Kosari for violating the country’s Islamic dress code by appearing in public without wearing hijabs, the judiciary announced Wednesday.
“The Tehran prosecutor charged filmmaker Rakhshan Banietemad and her daughter, the actress Baran Kosari, after they removed their hijab in public,” reported Mizan Online, the judiciary’s official news website.
Banietemad, 70, is one of Iran’s pioneering female screenwriters and film directors, with a career spanning decades. Her work has garnered numerous accolades, including several awards at the Tehran Fajr film festival, Iran’s most prestigious cinematic event. Her daughter, Kosari, 38, is also an accomplished actress in her own right, having received the best actress award at the Fajr festival in 2015.
The charges stem from an incident on Tuesday when pictures of the two women without the mandatory headscarf at a film event were posted online and quickly went viral. The images sparked immediate controversy in a country where, since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, failing to wear the hijab in public is considered a criminal offense and a violation of the Islamic Republic’s strict dress code for women.
This incident highlights the ongoing tensions in Iran regarding women’s rights and personal freedoms. The mandatory hijab law applies to all women in Iran, regardless of nationality or religious beliefs, and has been a source of contention both domestically and internationally.
The indictment of such high-profile figures in Iran’s cultural sphere is likely to draw significant attention both within the country and abroad. It underscores the challenges faced by women in Iran’s public life, particularly those in the arts, who often find themselves at the intersection of creativity, public visibility, and strict religious laws.
As the case develops, it may reignite debates about personal freedom, artistic expression, and the role of women in Iranian society. The international film community will likely be watching closely, given Banietemad and Kosari’s respected status in cinema.
