It’s tough getting any movie made, much less one about an Iranian forbidden lesbian romance coming of age drama. 
So kudos to producers Karin Chien, Melissa M. Lee and Maryam Keshavarz (who also wrote and directed the film) for releasing Circumstance earlier this year and to rave reviews.
The movie centers around a pair of free-spirited Tehran teens Atafeh (Nikohl Boosheri) and Shireen (Sarah Kazemy) struggling with their burgeoning sexuality under the rigid rules of an oppressive theocracy. The film is set in Iran, filmed in Beirut, edited in Chile, finished in France, and financed primarily by U.S. sources. Circumstance premiered at the 2011 Sundance Awards where it picked up the Audience Award for drama.
However, the controversy surrounding the film has also carried off-screen as Chien recently penned an open letter condemning the Producers Guild Award for labeling Circumstance a foreign film because the film is not in English.
Read Karin’s full letter under the cut. Continue Reading »
