We Are Half of Iran’s Population

Made a mere three months before the contentious June 2009 presidential elections in Iran, this documentary provides an extraordinarily intimate and timely look at the country. Bani-Etemad filmed a diverse coalition of women’s rights activists discussing their opinions on pressing contemporary issues, then had three of the four presidential candidates view the footage (Mahmoud Ahmedinejad declined her invitation), which includes women demanding that Iran ratify the United Nation’s 1979 Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women. 2009, video, 42 minutes.