Starless Dreams

Synopsis

Murder, drug addiction, hijacking cars, running away from home. These are just a few of the crimes that the girls from the rehabilitation centre for juvenile delinquents in Tehran have committed. For seven years, director Mehrdad Oskouei sought permission from the Iranian authorities to allow him to film this strange place, otherwise hidden from the public eye. Once inside, he then shared their tears, laughter, defiance, fear and loneliness. The result is an incredibly intimate documentary about the dreams, nightmares and hopes of women who, going by their age, should still be children.

Director Biography

Mehrdad Oskouei is an Iranian filmmaker, producer, photographer and researcher born in Tehran in 1969 and later graduating in film direction from the University of Arts. His films have been screened at numerous festivals both at home and abroad to great critical acclaim, making him one of the major Iranian documentary makers. In 2010 Oskouei received the Dutch Prince Claus Award for his achievements. He is a founding member of the Institute of Anthropology and Culture and has sat on several international film festival juries as well as being a cultural ambassador for the United Nation’s humanitarian committee UCHA. He also teaches at film schools around Iran and is active in the Tehran Arts and Culture Association.