Seven Winters in Tehran

The summer of 2007 in Tehran marks a turning point in the life of 19-year-old Reyhaneh Jabbari. When the young woman is attacked by her client during a business meeting, she acts in self-defense to protect herself from rape and stabs him. But instead of support, she finds herself in a merciless judicial system that is more concerned with protecting the reputation of a powerful man than with ensuring the protection of women. Reyhaneh is convicted of murder and spends seven years on death row. Her fate has become a symbol of the struggle against patriarchal structures and for women's rights in Iran and beyond. Steffi Niederzoll's documentary tells Reyhaneh's story with harrowing intensity. Thanks to secretly recorded material, moving letters from her time in prison and the support of her family, it provides an intimate insight into a life shaped by courage and resistance. The film highlights the absurdity of a patriarchal legal system that punishes female victims while protecting male perpetrators. Reyhaneh's voice, set to music by Zar Amir Ebrahimi, enhances the emotional impact of this narrative. Winner of the 2023 Berlinale Peace Prize and recipient of the 2023 German Film Award in Gold, this film is not only a cinematic masterpiece, but also a powerful appeal for justice and women's rights. SEVEN WINTERS IN TEHRAN is a powerful testament to human resilience and a must-see for anyone seeking to engage with social and political injustices.

Keywords

  • Award Winning
  • Jasmin Astaki Bardeh
  • Screen: Iran
  • User Favorites: Top 25
  • discrimination
  • justice
  • middle east
  • social drama
  • social inequality

Actors

  • Zar Amir Ebrahimi
  • Reyhaneh Jabbari
  • Shole Pakravan
  • Shahrzad Jabbari
  • Fereydoon Jabbari

Director

  • Steffi Niederzoll

Documentary, Drama


1h 37min


16 FSK

FA


DE

France
Germany
2023
A harrowing drama about patriarchal justice in Iran – awarded the German Film Prize in Gold.

A harrowing drama about patriarchal justice in Iran – awarded the German Film Prize in Gold.


The summer of 2007 in Tehran marks a turning point in the life of 19-year-old Reyhaneh Jabbari. When the young woman is attacked by her client during a business meeting, she acts in self-defense to protect herself from rape and stabs him. But instead of support, she finds herself in a merciless judicial system that is more concerned with protecting the reputation of a powerful man than with ensuring the protection of women. Reyhaneh is convicted of murder and spends seven years on death row. Her fate has become a symbol of the struggle against patriarchal structures and for women's rights in Iran and beyond.


Steffi Niederzoll's documentary tells Reyhaneh's story with harrowing intensity. Thanks to secretly recorded material, moving letters from her time in prison and the support of her family, it provides an intimate insight into a life shaped by courage and resistance. The film highlights the absurdity of a patriarchal legal system that punishes female victims while protecting male perpetrators. Reyhaneh's voice, set to music by Zar Amir Ebrahimi, enhances the emotional impact of this narrative.


Winner of the 2023 Berlinale Peace Prize and recipient of the 2023 German Film Award in Gold, this film is not only a cinematic masterpiece, but also a powerful appeal for justice and women's rights. SEVEN WINTERS IN TEHRAN is a powerful testament to human resilience and a must-see for anyone seeking to engage with social and political injustices.

Award
Deutscher Filmpreis

Festivals

Cast & Crew