Hana Makhmalbaf, a 21 year old Iranian director, brings the bloody street protests after June’s presidential vote to the big screen in the Venice film festival.
Her film, “Green Days,” focuses on the run-up to the election on the streets of Tehran and features interviews with ordinary young people, mostly supporters of opposition candidate Mir Hossein Mousavi. The film blends a fictional storyline with a reaction to the swirling events surrounding Iran’s disputed presidential election.
The film features raw footage of the swelling protests by Mousavi’s green-clad sympathizers after Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was declared winner and their brutal repression by security forces. Some of the images were shot with mobile phones by the demonstrators, as the government imposed restrictions on independent and foreign media. Hana Makhmalbaf said she had to leave Iran after the vote because the government wanted to arrest her. She finished editing the film at a secret location in Italy to avoid Iranian censorship.
You can watch the full version of  “Green Days” here.