Cutting Through Rocks + debate

Her strong personality causes a stir in a completely patriarchal world, not only during political meetings, but also because of her love for riding a motorcycle, an activity entirely unusual for local women. She visits neighbors to help bring gas into their homes or to protect very young girls from child marriage, and she encourages women not to be afraid to vote. At times, the pressures almost overwhelm her, especially when authorities irrationally force her to undergo a sex change. Sara refuses to give in, and the roar of her motorcycle becomes a symbolic echo of her struggle for freedom and independence, rights still denied to women in Iran. The film was rightly awarded the top prize in the documentary section at the Sundance Film Festival.

Debata: Fatima Rahimi – Journalist focusing on Iran, Afghanistan, and women's rights in the Muslim world. She has an academic background in European cultural history.