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In order to cope with loss of her best friend, and the strict rules of dress and conduct imposed on all women in Iran in the mid-1980s, 8-year-old Neda escapes into her own fantasy world. Her little haven is shattered when her mother goes into labor while they hide in the basement during a bombing.
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Set in Iran during the mid1980s, Kid Behind the Iron Door tells the story of 8-year-old Neda and her family as they struggle to live through constant air strikes long enough to escape the country. Even at such a young age, Neda knows that being a woman in this environment is very difficult. She rebels against the strict dress code imposed on all women and wishes she were a boy, just like Aden, her best friend who was recently killed in the unrest. Neda seeks shelter inside a little yellow tent in her family’s basement and hides behind an old pair of aviator goggles that were once Aden’s. The Kid Behind the Iron Door is directed by Farnaz Samiinia.
Farnaz Samiinia is a filmmaker, born in Iran/Tehran, raised in Cologne/Germany. She immigrated to the United States in the summer 1996. A graduate of Cal. State Long Beach with a B.A. in Film Production. She worked on numerous projects as an independent filmmaker and broaden her horizons further by working in Post at Sony Pictures Studios for 11 years.
Director Statement
WOMAN . LIFE . FREEDOM This story is very personal and important to me as I went through what millions of people in Iran are going through today. I was one of the lucky ones who was able to escape the country because my parents were looking for a better life for us... my sister and I. We left that country forever with nothing but our suitcases. As a child I witnessed how the "morality police" stopped my mother and almost took her to prison if my dad hadn't stopped them. As a child I witnessed bombs being dropped on our homes but my dad always made me believe that they were nothing but "fireworks." As a child I hated to cover up myself because I felt too ugly and I wanted to be free. So, I cut my hair and became a "boy" just like all the women in Iran today who wished they could be a "man" and be "free."