Seven Winters in Tehran

by Steffi Niederzoll
At 19, Reyhaneh Jabari kills her assailant, sentenced to death; her story ignites Iran's women's rights movement in this gripping film.
2023  ·  1h37m  ·  France, Germany
Farsi
English subs
About the Film

The story of brave Iranian Reyhaneh Jabbari. At 19, Reyhaneh killed a man who threatened to rape her. Her death sentence can be revoked if the victim’s family forgives her. For Reyhaneh, it becomes a choice between her life and her values. 
 
Reyhaneh Jabbari’s life was changed forever when the man with whom she thought she had a business meeting, locked the door and threatened to rape her. Picking up a knife from the table, Reyhaneh stabbed him and fled. After the man died from his wounds, she was charged with murder. In a grossly unfair trial – the judge said Reyhaneh should have let herself be raped and file a complaint later – she is sentenced to ‘blood revenge’. This is a death sentence, allowing the victim’s family to either execute, or forgive her. 
 
What happened in the years that followed is told in a both emotional and suspense-filled way. Her mother, father and sisters offer gripping testimonies, and have documented their fight to revoke the sentence with secretly recorded video’s. Most impressive of all are Reyhaneh’s letters from prison. These are beautiful, harrowing, sensitive letters, full of detail about her life in prison, her fellow inmates, her memories and convictions. Truly awe-inspiring story of an Iranian hero. 

Upcoming Screenings

Stay tuned for upcoming screenings!

Festivals and Awards
2023
Berlin Internation Film Festival, Compass-Perspective Award
2023
Berlin Internation Film Festival, Peace Film Award
2023
El Gouna Film Festival, Feature Documentary Award
2023
The Hague Movies that Matter Festival, Activist Documentary Award
Producer
Melanie Andernach
Cinematographer
Julia Daschner
Editor
Nicole Kortlüke
Writer
Sina Ataeian Dena
Writer
Steffi Niederzoll
About the Director

Steffi Niederzoll

Steffi Niederzoll was born in Nuremberg in 1981. She studied audiovisual media arts at the Academy of Media Arts Cologne (KHM) and the Escuela de Cine y Television in Cuba (EICTV) from 2001-2007. In addition to her film work, she is also involved in interdisciplinary artistic works. She was a member of the core group of the collective “1000 Gestalten”, which caused a worldwide sensation with its performance during the G20 summit in Hamburg. Her collective works have been presented at the Brecht Festival, the Kunsthalle Baden-Baden and the Museum of Contemporary Art in Roskilde and Vejle, Denmark, among others.

 
Other films by Steffi Niederzoll

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