Shaghayegh Norouzi: Actress from Iran Breaks Silence on Sexual Violence and Starts Me Too Movement- Exclusive Interview.

In the 10 years in which Shaghayegh Norouzi (Shiraz, 1984) worked as an actress in Iran and suffered sexual violence, which she describes as systematic, by directors and other men on the crew. Her filming partners told her to “learn how to direct,” she said. “How do you handle abuse?” he asks angrily.

In 2019, Norouzi felt that he could not accept this climate of prohibition, he left the country and settled in Barcelona, ​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​ – this interview is taking place. Here she started, with some friends, an Instagram account, Move Me Too Iran, in which they told their stories and encouraged them to do the same. Thousands of women began to tell their stories of abuse and rape, which are reproduced on the Instagram and X accounts of the movement, revealing the names and surnames of the perpetrators.

Ask. When did your acting career begin?

Answer. I studied Theater at the University in Tehran and soon started working as an actor. My career lasted 10 years, when I participated in several series and films in Iran. But in my first job, at the age of 20, I suffered the first episode of sexual violence. In subsequent projects there was always someone, usually the director, who abused me.

P. What did you do when you were the victim of that first abuse?

R. It was very traumatic. I stayed inside shock I was shooting for seven months. In front of and behind the cameras, he abused me. He was about 45 years old. That first experience marked me deeply.

I started working when I was 20 years old. In every project, there was always someone who abused me

P. Have you ever asked him to stop?

R. Yes. And then he told me it was hard to hire them. When the project ended, he threatened not to put my name in the credits. Then he began to harass me among television and theater directors so that no one would hire me. I continued to work and finished filming, but fell into depression for several months. As I recovered I returned to work, but that experience always stayed with me. When I started acting in other series, I faced new abuse. The team knew it and never did anything.

P. I am reporting?

R. Report where? The police are not good for that in Iran. I discussed it with my colleagues in the series and they responded that I had to “manage learning.” How is abuse treated? The worst thing was the restraint with which the director did it. There were times when he would do it while we were shooting and I would be blocked. I remember once we were filming in the back of a car and he was sitting in the front seat, next to the camera operator, giving instructions. He started touching my leg. I tried to get away, but I had to continue acting. Nobody said anything. Other times, he would come into the dressing room and kiss me on the mouth.

One day I decided that I could not consider what was normal or not. I had already worked on several productions, and in everyone someone tried something with me without my permission. I then went to the organization that monitors audio-visual productions in Iran and reported the truth. Surprisingly, they told me that they would take care of it and that they would monitor the filming, but it was not true. The only concern of this group, responsible for the Ministry of Culture, is that the scripts do not violate the rules of Islamic morality. The rest don’t care.

Off camera I told him one day that I couldn’t continue filming if he touched me. And then he told me he regretted hiring me

P. Do you mean the regime protects abusers in the industry?

R. Clear. The regime has complete control over the audio-visual sector. The men who work in that industry are, in some way, connected to the regime because all the money for the projects is controlled by the Government. Even if they do not see clearly what is happening, if they tell it, they lose the opportunity to work on filming. The sense of silence in Iran is immense. I also tried to report on social media, but they started canceling my jobs. In Cannes or Hollywood actresses can speak, but in Iran it is very dangerous. We are not only at risk of losing our jobs, but also of being arrested.

In Cannes or Hollywood actresses can speak, but in Iran it is very dangerous. We are not only open to losing our jobs, but also to being arrested

P. When did you decide to leave Iran?

R. There was a shot where they changed my script so it said the social network [entonces Twitter] I had ruined my family. It was at the same time as a period of protests within the country and social unrest grew on the networks. They told me that if I didn’t want to read what the text said, I should go home. I left, and the next day I had lost my job. It was then that I saw clearly that I could not be an actor in Iran. After a few months I landed in Barcelona.

P. And it was from here that he decided he could now do something…

R. Exactly. When I arrived in Barcelona I decided that I should reject everything that I could not shout in Iran and I created accounts on Instagram y X to explain dysfunction in the audiovisual sector. The response from the actresses was immediate. I received 800 signatures from women who signed a manifesto calling for an end to freedom. I created a network of credibility by getting the stories I published to get many reposts from other actors who had gone through the same thing. He had to dispel any doubts about the truth of the stories. It was like a bomb. They attacked us from the media, from the Government. They accused me of lying. We reveal the names and surnames of the abusers.

P. You were safe in Spain, but the actresses in Iran did not suffer revenge?

R. Many were identified and called to testify. There were actresses, photographers, fashion designers… Some were held. Despite the great danger, we made a lot of noise and something changed.

P. Did they report any issues targeting politicians or celebrities?

R. I published a mail denying that Shahram Gilabadi, a right-hand man of former Tehran mayor Mohammad Ghalibaf, has raped three women. He was a senior officer in the City Hall communications center, and three women wrote to me saying he raped them. When I published it, he wrote to me and told me he would come to Barcelona to “give me what I deserve” if I didn’t publish it. mail acknowledging that I had made up the story for political reasons. I went to the police and reported the threats.

The regime subjugates women as a system to preserve its global power. He is the most feared. That is why he upholds extremely patriarchal laws

P. Has anything changed in Iran after the 2022 revolution a great and feminist movement Woman, Life and Freedom?

R. After this revolution, the regime has not changed and it still controls men and women, but we feel more empowered about our rights. I want to emphasize that the revolution came after death Mahsa Amini [fallecida mientras se encontraba detenida por no llevar correctamente el velo islámico] This is the most important thing that Iran has experienced in 44 years. Never before had such an important part of the population, led by women’s groups, come together to declare unanimously that they rejected the regime. My determination to promote the Me Too campaign once in exile and the great response I received from Iran is a reflection of the strength of the women’s struggle in my country. The regime subjugates women as a system to preserve its global power. He is the most feared. That is why he maintains the very patriarchal laws on the Islamic image and women’s clothing. But things have changed and now, despite the danger involved in the movement, women are raising their voices.

P. What is your life like in Spain?

R. I work for the Iranian-American NGO United for Iran try to empower women against abuse. I miss my country a lot. If I could, I would go back, but for now it is not possible. I hope I can return one day. I am in danger and just arriving in Iran I would be arrested.

You can continue Future planet in X, Facebook, Instagram y TikTok and subscription here newsletter nuestra.