Shorts

Peyvand Khorsandi writes: This film directing debut by Edinburgh-based artist Roxana Pope (pictured here on location) is a charming portrait of the life of a cleaner in a poor neighbourhood of Tehran.

Shot beautifully, by Ian Dodds, the 30-minute Tehran's Backyard focuses on Pari, a 65-year-old who tells us she has worked for fifty years yet still does not think twice about supporting her husband, who is blind, and her family, on her meagre wages. It is a portrait of working class life in the Islamic Republic devoid of the plaudit-seeking posturing that dogs much of Iran's film output, while carrying, a subtle and touching women's punch.

Pope will be taking part in a Q&A on Sunday 19 August at 4.00pm with writer Kamin Mohammadi at The Frontline Club in London following a screening of the film on a double-bill with Tehran Generation by Sara Bavar.

Visist Soul Bean Café