About the film

 Women On The Front Line
 
Thirty years ago, this monstrous transformation came to the women of Iran. Then, as now, the bravest women chose not to remain silent, and an ardent, intelligent, nonviolent women’s movement came into being. Today, in spite of the threat of death, torture, rape and imprisonment, this now unstoppable force is on the front lines of civil opposition in Iran. 

Directed by the multi-award winner Hossein Fazeli, this essential, independent documentary film focuses on the strong, peaceful, determined Iranian women and their decentralized but surprisingly powerful movement. This movement is the largest, non-violent civil rights movement in the world, yet it survives within the heart of a bitterly anti-female theocratic state. This movement is as groundbreaking and historically significant as the American, Polish, and South African civil rights movements. It has the potential to change the social and political landscape of more than just Iran. The story of these women and their movement, their fears, their disappointments, and their brilliant successes simply must be told throughout the global community, as it is a model for humanity’s best hopes in troubled times. Women on the Front Line has set itself the goal of just doing that!

From these scholars and activists we will learn the origins of this movement, its sources of strength, why it developed at this specific point in history, and why male leaders of the opposition now support its goals. We will learn about the repressive and humiliating gender laws and how they were particularly infuriating to educated women. We will come to understand the significance of the response of the Iranian people to the June 20th murder of the young activist, Neda Agha-Soltan. And we will see how Iranian men and women are now marching, chanting, praying, and demonstrating side by side, in open defiance of strict gender segregation traditions, becoming the change they seek.