Director Navid Nikkhah Azad talked about “The Recess” in an interview with Cinefish on January 20, 2021.
Director Navid Nikkhah Azad talked in interview with Cinefish on January 20, 2021 about one of the most provocative short films in recent times, “The Recess”, which deals with the presence of women in stadiums in Iran and specifically the story of the self-immolated Sahar Khodayari (Blue Girl).
Q: When did you decide to shoot the story based on what happened with Sahar Khodayari? Tell us more about her case and about this prohibition for women to go to football matches in Iran.
A: When the tragedy happened, it left everyone in shock, and shook people around the world. The self-immolation of Sahar Khodayari happened at a five-minute walk from my office, the Islamic Revolutionary Court of Tehran. At the time, I never posted anything on social media, or expressed a feeling of anger, whatsoever. I just witnessed the feelings over this tragedy around my environment, read comments from people, people who were just a fan or an ordinary citizen, or people who were celebrities in Politics, Sports, Cinema. I didn’t want to act out of excitement, I wanted to think about this tragedy and the hidden layers. What made me think of it as a subject for a movie, and a serious concern as a filmmaker, was that the truth about Sahar Khodayari, her life story, who she was, and what she did, majorly disrupted by the government and the media. She was made a person with no “past”. So I decided to make this film about “Blue Girl” to give her a “past” she deserved and “truth” to who she was and what she did.
For 40 years, women in Iran have been banned from visiting stadiums to support football teams. As the 2022 World Cup qualifiers approach, FIFA has forced Iran to admit women to stadiums. A month after Sahar’s death, the government decided that the women would be able to watch the qualifying match between Iran and Cambodia.
Q: How did you find Mojan Kordi? Is she a professional actress?
A: None of the actresses in “The Recess” were professional including Mojan Kordi; however, they performed like a professional as they were coached correctly on the scenes. I remembered her from a student short film in which I found her with high potentials. She left the audience with a sense of surprise and admiration, her performance was impressive. I simply searched for her on social media. We had a meeting at a theater hall where she performed as an actress in a play. We had a talk about “The Recess”, and exchanged ideas about what happened to Sahar Khodayari known as Iran’s Blue Girl. I sent her the script, and she loved it.
Q: It should be pretty hard to spread your film all over the world in this pandemic situation. How is going the festival life of the film these days?
A: “The Recess” journey at film festivals was greatly affected by the pandemic; and the chain of political events in my country, each was a tragedy of its own. Our festival life began in November with world premiere at 21st Izmir International Short Film Festival, we’ve had 9 official selections in international film festivals so far including Sofia Menar Film Festival, and we have a long way ahead. It stands true that a filmmaker feels disconnected with audience in the pandemic, and many film festivals are running virtually and not in-person, but, I think the real challenge in making a film is for the audience to watch it and the idea within gets discovered, admired and spread. I never think of the limitations. I think about how I can be limitless even when I feel locked-up inside limitations. We’re our own limits. I am pretty optimistic about the journey my film has started in film festivals, and I am sure there are many good turns to come.
Q: What was the echo of the screenings in Iran? By the way did you already have a real screening in Iran?
A: I never had a screening in Iran. “The Recess” was rejected at Tehran short film festival, the major short film festival for short film, due to political reasons; as the subject in “The Recess” is simply regarded as a matter of national security.
Q: What are the directors and films you are influenced and inspired by?
A: I am strongly influenced by directors like Abbas Kiarostami, Krzysztof Kieślowski, Asgar Farhadi and the Darden brothers. Krzysztof Kieślowski’s “Decalogue” pushed me towards directing.
Q: You already have 6 short films in your filmography, isn’t it time for your first feature film? Are you working on something new?
A: I really like short films. I’m sure I’ll feel it when it’s time for my first feature film.
I’ve been working on a screenplay for two years, and now the story is getting finished. I hope that in a year, in 2022, I will start shooting my next film in a different environment.
