The Queen And I - Film June 29, 2009

The Queen And I - Film When Nahid Persson Sarvestani, an Iranian exile, set out to make a documentary about Farrah, the wife of the shah of Iran, she expected to encounter her opposite. As a child, Persson Sarvestani had lived in dire poverty, watching Farrahs wedding as if it were a fairy tale. As a teenager, she joined the Communist faction of Khomeinis evolution that deposed the shah, sending him and his family volleying from country to country. When Khomeini betrayed his promise for democracy, imposing more violent measures than the shah had, Persson Sarvestani was also forced to flee. Thirty years later, she needs key questions answered and goes directly to the source. Surprisingly, Queen Farrah welcomes her as a fellow refugee from their beloved homeland, granting unprecedented access. Over the next year and a half, Persson Sarvestani enters the queens world, planning to challenge the shahs ideology; instead, she must rethink her own. When Persson Sarvestanis prior opposition to the shah surfaces, the queen shuts down filming. Yet, in the struggle to understand each others experiences, an unlikely friendship has blossomed. Confronting Farrah about the shahs repression has become not only a political conflict but a personal one, and Persson Sarvestanis objectivity is shaken.In this gripping, poignant consideration of subjectivity as truth, we learn that people write history. And can also heal it. The Queen and I couldnt be more relevant as we reach across our own political aisles. Director Nahid Persson Sarvestani is a filmmaker and former revolutionary who helped to overthrow the monarchy in Irans 1979 revolution. Having made two documentaries with anti-Islamist messages, she decided to make a film about the former queen, her old adversary. Both are women living in exile. Over a two year period, the two confront each other about their past, question their former beliefs, and share their grievances. Their relationship grows as they realize they have much in common as two strong women who have risen above hardships to continue evolving towards a positive future.

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