​Evoca Foundation gives a voice to Iran's female freedom fighters

This powerful and emotive ten-minute film, directed by SHIRZAN through Evoca Foundation, pays tribute to the #WomanLifeFreedom movement, which honours and supports the women of Iran. 

Featuring Maya Angelou’s poem Still I Rise, the cinematic short follows an Iranian teenage girl who resists Tehran’s patriarchal ‘morality police’ when she is arrested for wearing a loose headscarf, and dies at the hands of the police while being interrogated. 

The film's release coincides with Iranian New Year, which also marks the first Spring festivity since the death of Masha Amini, the 22-year-old Iranian Kurdish woman who tragically died in the same circumstances as the story's protagonist, making the creative all the more poignant. 

“With Rise, I hope to inspire audiences to amplify Iranian voices - to rediscover how powerful they are and what a tremendous difference they can make.” explained cast member Ariane Gray, who plays Chadory. “I hope it ignites a fire within them to stand passionately with Iranian people for the liberation of humankind.”