An Iranian director has used his Oscars nomination as an opportunity to make “a small change” in the fight for gender equality in Iran by discussing the issue with industry giants such as Tom Cruise and Steven Spielberg.
The Red Suitcase is an 18-minute short film up for Best Live Action Short at the 95th Academy Awards and is directed by Cyrus Neshvad.
The film, co-written with French producer Guillaume Levil, follows an Iranian girl, 16, played by Nawelle Ewad, landing at Luxembourg Airport with a red suitcase and swiftly trying to escape an arranged marriage to a much older man waiting for her at the arrivals gate.
Neshvad said he has used his first ever Academy Awards nomination and time in Los Angeles to be “a part” of what he called the revolution of women in Iran.
He said he received an “empathetic” reaction from some of Hollywood’s biggest names, including Tom Cruise, who told him: “We should be strong.”
“Being nominated means that we can bring visibility to Iranian women's suffering on a global scale”, Neshvad, who was born in Iran but has lived in Luxembourg since the age of five, told The National.
Neshvad said he was “not a politician”, but the nomination allows him to help.
He told The National that he blames both personal responsibility and the society's structure for the current situation: “We need to have proper rules in place and educate people.”
In an interview with PA agency he said: “I went to the [Oscars] luncheon. I met Tom Cruise. I didn’t say, ‘Mr Tom Cruise, I love you, blah blah blah.’
“I said, ‘Tom Cruise, I have to talk about a serious issue, about the women’s rights in Iran'.
“He said, actually, that he knows what’s going on — and that he cares a lot about this.
“And actually, he took me in his arms and he took me like this and said, ‘We should be strong’.
“(That) he heard about this from me, it will have a small change, perhaps not big. Perhaps one hour later he’ll forget about it, but it was there.”
Iran protests 40 days since Mahsa Amini's death — in pictures
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An unveiled woman stands on top of a vehicle as thousands make their way towards Aichi cemetery in Saqez, Mahsa Amini's home town, to mark 40 days since her death. AFP -
Protesters attempt to dodge projectiles fired at them during clashes at Iran's Islamic Azad University in Tehran. AFP -
Protesters gather at Amirkabir University of Technology in Tehran. AFP -
A man, bottom left, fires a weapon during the clashes at Islamic Azad University. AFP -
Protesters chant at a vigil for Amini at the entrance of the Khajeh Nasir Toosi University of Technology in Tehran. Reuters -
Iranian police arrive to disperse a protest marking 40 days since Amini's death. AP -
People block an intersection during a protest to mark 40 days since Amini's death. AP -
People march down the motorway towards Aichi cemetery near Saqez, where Amini is buried. Reuters -
People march towards Aichi cemetary. Reuters -
Protesters walk towards the cemetery. Reuters -
A view of demonstrators walking to the cemetery. Reuters -
Cars line the street as people march towards the cemetery. Reuters -
Protesters march towards the cemetery 40 days after Amini's death. Reuters
He spoke to Spielberg, who is nominated for Best Director for an eighth time this year.
He is a hero of Neshvad, who said he was “very available” to talk to about what is happening in Iran.
The feminist Woman, Life, Freedom movement in Iran, sparked by the death of Mahsa Amini, 22, in police custody last September, is continuing.
It has led to protests over issues affecting women and girls, such as domestic violence, abortion and strict dress code laws.
Neshvad’s film was made two years before Amini’s death but he said “what the world knows today” is something people in Iran have known for a long time, and that the message he wants audiences to derive from The Red Suitcase is one of equality.
Iranian-American celebrities show support for protest movement in Iran — in pictures
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Sarah Shahi, who was born in the US to Iranian parents, has been vocal in her support of the protests. Pictured in London this week to promote the 'Black Adam' film. Photo: Warner Bros -
Shahi at a 'Black Adam' premiere in London on Tuesday. Photo: Warner Bros. -
Yara Shahidi has repeatedly drawn attention to the situation in Iran on her Instagram account, where she has more than 7 million followers. AFP -
US actress Yara Shahidi, pictured in 2017. EPA -
Navid Negahban, who was born in Iran, has posted support in both Farsi and English. Fatima Al Marzooqi / The National -
Negahban in between takes while filming a scene during the shooting of the short film '51' at the Central Souk in Abu Dhabi on June 28, 2013. Christopher Pike / The National -
Maz Jobrani, a veteran Iranian-American comedian, recently posted a video on Instagram imploring people to care about what is happening in Iran. Photo: Levity Entertainment
“A woman is allowed to have the free will, a woman should have [equal] rights with men,” he said.
“Because at the end of the day, they are each one wing of this bird.
“If one wing is not working correctly, or is not the same as the other, the bird will not fly very far.”
Neshvad described the Iranian government as “a virus” that continues to grow and become “more and more cruel”.
Neshvad said he was proud of the Iranian people embarking on this revolution and hopes his film “can be a part of this”.
On the moment he learnt of his Academy Award nomination, he said: “I was with my family, my Iranian family … we were sitting there, and then we got the news.
“Actually I felt happiness for what this movie will do, like I will have the opportunity to talk about this.
“So that was the victory for me, not the victory so much to go to America and so on.”
Mahsa Amini protests in Iran and around the world — in pictures
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Demonstrators chant slogans during the March of Solidarity for Iran in Washington. AFP -
Another group of demonstrators at the march. AFP -
A protest in support of Iranian women in Barcelona. Reuters -
Iranian citizens and locals joined in the Barcelona protest. Reuters -
People attend a demonstration in solidarity with Mahsa Amini and other Iranian women in Castello Square, Turin. EPA -
A person places a candle during the demonstration in Turin. EPA -
A protester holds a pre-Islamic Revolution Iranian flag during a demonstration in Brussels in support of the Iranians fighting for their freedom. AFP -
A protester wearing a top with a logo that reads 'No to an Islamic state" as she takes part in a rally in support of the Iranian people, in Brussels. AFP -
People wave the Shah-era Iranian flag during a protest in Paris. AFP -
A woman shows her true colours in the protest against the Iranian government, in Paris. AFP -
A woman holds a flag, as people protest against the Iranian regime outside Iran's embassy in central London. Reuters -
Supporters of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) carry placards and wave party flags in Beirut, during a protest against the death of Ms Amini. EPA -
People demonstrate against the Iranian government outside the Houses of Parliament in London following the death of Amini. Reuters -
A mural in Paris depicts women cutting their hair to show support for Iranian protesters. AP -
People take part in a rally against the Iranian government in Vancouver, Canada, on Saturday. AP -
Protesters take to the streets of Tehran. EPA -
Iranian protesters run after clashing with with police. EPA -
A protester shaves their head outside the Houses of Parliament in London. Reuters -
Iranians living in Athens hold a protest in solidarity. AFP -
People take part in a rally in The Hague. AFP -
A woman cuts her hair during a demonstration in Santiago, Chile, by feminist groups and Iranian migrants in support of Iranian women following the death of Amini. AFP -
Members of feminist groups and Iranian migrants during the protests in Santiago. AFP -
Iranian activists shout slogans during a protest against the government in Tehran, in Amsterdam, The Netherlands. EPA -
A protester holds a painted portrait of Mahsa Amini in Berlin, Germany. EPA -
A protester shows red paint on her face, resembling blood splatters and bloody handprints next to the national Iranian emblem, during a rally in Berlin. EPA -
Iranian protesters shout slogan during a protest in Istanbul, Turkey. EPA -
A woman holds a sign during a protest against the Iranian government, in front of the country's embassy in Madrid, Spain. The protests were triggered by the death of a young Iranian woman, Mahsa Amini, in police custody. Reuters -
A woman cuts her hair during the protest in front of the Iranian embassy in Madrid. Reuters -
Israelis show their support for women in Iran as they hold up placards of Amini during a protest in Jerusalem. EPA -
Amini, 22, was arrested in Tehran on September 13, 2022, by the morality police. She fell into a coma while in police custody and was declared dead on September 16. EPA -
People walk by graffiti in support of the protests triggered by Amini's death, in Jerusalem. EPA -
A protest in Nantes, western France, after the death of Amini in Iranian police custody. AFP -
Women gather for a demonstration in Barcelona, Spain. AFP -
Demonstrators in Nantes. Amini's death has sparked a global protest movement. AFP -
Women protest outside the town hall in in Montpellier, southern France. AFP -
A woman at a protest in Catalunya Square, Barcelona. Reuters -
Campaigners and football fans protest at a Champions League match between Porto and Bayer Leverkusen at the Dragao stadium in Portugal. EPA -
People hold placards during a demonstration in solidarity with the Iranian people near the European Parliament in Strasbourg, France. EPA -
An Iranian woman living in Turkey with 'Freedom' written on her forehead takes part in a protest near the Iranian consulate in Istanbul. Reuters -
In Barcelona, protesters take part in a demonstration in support of Iranian women. AFP -
A Lebanese activist takes part in a protest in Beirut, triggered by the death of Amini, 22. AP -
A Turkish protester takes off her head scarf while giving a performance in Instanbul during a protest against Iran over Amini's death. Getty -
A woman in Istanbul cuts her hair during a protest against Iran. Getty -
A Lebanese activist holds a poster depicting Amini during a protest in Beirut organised by feminist groups in support of women protesters in Iran. EPA -
Demonstrators in Los Angeles, California, hold the Iranian flag during a protest against the government in Tehran. AFP -
Demonstrators hold placards in Mexico City during a protest against Iran. Reuters -
People demonstrate in Montreal, Canada, during a protest triggered by Amini's death. AFP -
Iranian Americans participate in a rally in central Los Angeles, in solidarity with women in Iran. AP -
Demonstrators march during a protest in Los Angeles, California. AFP -
A woman with the colours of the Iranian flag painted on her face participates in a rally as thousands demonstrate in support of Iranian women in Los Angeles. EPA -
Australians protest over Amini's death in Melbourne. EPA -
Police block protesters from entering Iran's embassy in Oslo, Norway. EPA -
Demonstrators in front of the European headquarters of the UN in Geneva, Switzerland, during a rally against Iran. EPA -
A candlelight vigil for Amini in Los Angeles. AFP -
Afghan women hold placards as they take part in a protest in front of the Iranian embassy in Kabul. AFP -
Protestors take part in a rally outside the Iranian consulate in Istanbul. AFP -
An Iranian woman shows a lock of hair she cut off during a protest outside the Iranian consulate in Istanbul. EPA -
Demonstrators outside the Iranian consulate in Istanbul. Getty -
Iranian Americans rally on Capitol Hill in Washington to show support for protesters in Iran. AFP -
Protesters on Capitol Hill hold a sign condemning the crackdown by Tehran. AFP -
German demonstrators gather in Berlin after the death of Amini in Iranian police custody. AP -
A protester cries during a rally in Berlin. Reuters -
A demonstration in Madrid, Spain. Thousands have gathered in cities across Europe to support protests in Iran. AP -
Demonstrators gather outside the Iranian embassy in Madrid. Reuters -
People take part in a protest in Lausanne, Switzerland. EPA -
Protesters hold signs featuring images of Amini during the protest in the western Swiss city. EPA -
Demonstrators in front of the Iranian embassy in Buenos Aires, Argentina. EPA -
An activist outside the Iranian embassy in Buenos Aires, Argentina, with a sign that reads 'Justice for Mahsa Amini'. AFP -
A demonstration against violence in Iran is held in Quito, Ecuador. The Iranian community in Ecuador protested outside the Iranian embassy. EPA -
Protesters at a demonstration outside the Iranian embassy in Quito, Ecuador. EPA
His film, on the suggestion of co-writer Levil, also highlights women’s issues not just in Iran but around the world by adding into the script many adverts of women using their sexuality to “sell an object” such as shampoo.
Neshvad expressed optimism that the world “has empathy” for Iran.
“In Europe, in America we have good people, with heart and [who] are focused on Iran because they don’t like this injustice,” he said.
“And this makes me very, very happy that we are living in a very beautiful world with good people around us.
“In our diversity … we are unified.”
French actresses cut hair in solidarity with protesting Iranian women — video
The red suitcase itself, which Ewad’s character Ariane clutches tight to her chest for much of the film, symbolises the teenager’s heart, something she is desperate to keep from the older man waiting for her.
“What is important is that we should know that in Iran, it’s the domination of the man,” Neshvad said.
Neshvad told The National “Women and men are two wings of the same bird. If the wings are the same that’s when the bird can fly high and far.”
“So there is the patriarch, man, father, over the daughter who can say nothing”.
“She needs to make a choice to get her freedom, in this case cutting off her family.”
“And what’s the price to pay for all this? Say bye to the family, to the red suitcase, to her money, to her identity and to her country.
“And when she did all this, then she has her freedom.”
Neshvad told The National that future plans include shooting a movie in the summer about a six-year-old boy’s strange friendship with an elderly Russian woman in a refugee camp.
