'Under 1% of roles go to SWANA actors' — plus, how cinema is a tool of resistance
BAFTA and Oscar nominated actress, Afsaneh Dehrouyeh, on grieving her motherland, acting and advocacy, plus news from Falastin Film Festival.
Hello lovely readers,
We are back! Strap in for a newsletter all about film, the industry’s impact on SWANA actors and viewers, and its potential as a tool for political resistance.
I’m excited to piece together this newsletter for you as, while it is easy to dismiss art as frivolous when the world is crumbling around us, it is worth remembering that films not only preserve history and challenge dominant neocolonial racist narratives, but they also have the power to educate and inspire action. Film fosters solidarity while humanising and amplifying marginalised voices, and provides us with the hope and the knowledge needed to enact change!
This issue, our SWANA guest is BAFTA and Oscar’s nominated actress, Afsaneh Dehrouyeh, who talks about SWANA under-representation in film, taking on traumatic acting roles, adopting the roles of different ethnicities on screen, and situating herself against the backdrop of Afghan and Iranian civil rights movements (plus much more!)
But first, we check out the programme of Scotland’s Falastin Film Festival (which begins tomorrow!) If you are not based in Scotland, check out the festival website anyway, and find your own way to enjoy the work of these brilliant artists; the website acts as a wonderful repository of Palestinian film and artistry.
🎬 Falastin Film Festival: A Celebration of Palestinian Art and Culture in Edinburgh, Oban and Mull
From May 23rd to 27th, the Falastin Film Festival is set to transform Edinburgh and Scotland's West Coast into a hub of Palestinian artistry and resilience. The festival acts as a critical platform for amplifying Palestinian voices and stories. Take up the organiser’s invitation to engage with the rich tapestry of Palestinian culture, to see beyond the headlines, and to understand the human stories at its heart.
Below are some Edinburgh highlights, check out the full programme on the FFF Scotland website.
🖌️ Gazan artist Malak Mattar will inaugurate the festival on May 23rd with her first Scottish exhibition at the Embassy Gallery, beginning at 6:30 PM. Mattar’s work is an unfiltered testament to the Palestinian experience, offering piercing insights into the complexities and anguish of life under siege, while also embodying the undying spirit of the Palestinian people.
🎥 On May 24th, at 3:30 PM, the Scottish Storytelling Centre will host Time-Space, a collection of short films which challenge conventional narratives, disrupting colonial constructs of time and space. Following the screenings, filmmaker and visual artist Rita Mahfouz will engage in a Q&A session.
🎨 May 26th is the festival’s children and families day, running from 11:00 AM to 4:00 PM at the Scottish Storytelling Centre. There will be storytelling sessions, arts and crafts, and a tatreez workshop.
🎞️ Later that day, at 4:30 PM, there will be a screening of Amreeka. Directed by Cherien Dabis, this film narrates the poignant journey of a mother and son from the West Bank to Illinois. It is a narrative of displacement and determination, and of searching for a sense of belonging in exile.
For more details and tickets, visit falastinfilmfest.com.
🎥 In conversation with actress, Afsaneh Dehroyeh: “I’ve definitely done jobs where I’m in a very traumatic role”
You might recognise British Iranian actress and voice-over artist, Afsaneh Dehrouyeh, from BBC Film’s Phantom of the Open, Soulmates on Amazon Prime, Marriage on the BBC, Film4’s Foresight or perhaps her pivotal role throughout season 2 of the BBC detective series Granite Harbour. Or maybe you heard about her BAFTA nomination and Oscar shortlisting for starring in the 2024 film Yellow. Afsaneh went on to win Best Actress at Sulmona Film Festival for her moving performance in this short.
In the below conversation, Afsaneh and I discuss what it is like to be a SWANA actor in an industry which still rarely casts those from our communities, what it means to combine advocacy and artistry (and how to separate the two), and the book and SWANA human that inspires her most.
For some context, below we touch on Iran’s 2009 Green Movement. You can find more information in Amnesty International’s report on the protests here.
As usual, I hope you enjoy, and please do share, like, comment and subscribe. Your engagement helps keep the newsletter going!
Parisa: One thing I ask everyone is about the way their relationship with their identity has changed over time. For me, I grew up in North Wales and there were no other Iranian people around. Now I live in a city and it's like, very, very different! What has your relationship been with that Iranian side of your identity? And how has it changed over time?
Afsaneh: I think it's changed drastically. So I grew up in Gloucestershire and it was a very, very, very white town. I was one of about three people of colour in my school and I was definitely bullied for it. Like, I always wanted my hair to be straight, I just wanted to do whatever I could to fit in. So I think now I'm definitely in a place where I have grown into myself. And I live in London; I moved here when I was 18 and it definitely opened up my world. But I also think I went through a bit of a transitional phase when I was about 16 or 17, when the Green Movement happened in Iran. I think by that point, I was at an age where I had a different level of awareness about what was going on. And I just remember that being the first time that I experienced this fire of anger, this all encompassing rage of what was going on in my motherland. I think because of where I grew up, it was the first time I realised that I belonged to a diaspora and I was navigating what that actually meant in terms of my identity. I remember feeling so isolated in Cheltenham at school checking the news every morning. Just surrounded by people who had a total lack of awareness as to what was happening — that was definitely the first time I experienced those feelings that I now feel like I've experienced throughout my adult life. I would still say I experience isolation with it at times. Although I'd say the [Woman, Life, Freedom] movement that started a couple of years ago definitely had a different level of global awareness. And I had, you know, a couple of non-Iranian friends that would come to protest with me and things — things have definitely gotten better in that sense and I think that's maybe one positive of social media as well. But yeah, I would definitely say that I was a kid who was trying to fit in in any way possible. I guess I kind of wanted to be Barbie, really. I wanted to try and be Barbie. I grew up obsessed with Barbies. I understood what was accepted at school and at secondary school, what was viewed as pretty. My big curly hair that I didn’t know how to look after definitely wasn't one of them, and then I went through a phase of constantly straightening it. Plus I had a unibrow and my mum wouldn't let me touch it. I kind of wanted to feel more invisible by just looking like everybody else as much as possible.
Oh, especially with the blonde thing, I can totally relate. I remember when that was like the epitome of beauty. All I wanted was so desperately to be blonde and my mum refused to let me touch hair dye — I'm really glad that she did now, but at the time I was devastated! But it's interesting that you mentioned the 2009 Green Movement. We had satellite TV in our house and I remember spending so much time watching the news but nobody around me, beyond my family, seemed to have an awareness of what was happening in Iran at that time. And so you briefly touched on the Woman, Life, Freedom movement there too. As we’re on the topic, I’d love to understand how those two moments might have felt different to you in your life?
I think this time it felt like there was a deep, collective grief that couldn’t be ignored. A grieving aspect to it that I didn't feel last time. And I think it feels more global. The solidarity was moving and positive, but also very overwhelming. Sometimes it would feel like I couldn't escape it. Whereas before, I suppose in a way it was easier to escape. There was no social media, you could have avoided what news articles you were seeing, and it felt like nobody was talking about it. And so then to suddenly be in this moment where it’s all around you. To be like, I remember exactly where I was, and how I felt when I found out that she [Mahsa Jina Amini] died. And I remember how I felt when I knew that she was in the coma. And then it was finally confirmed that she died. And I definitely processed it like it was a family member. It feels like a type of grief that I just don't really know how to articulate, unless you're someone of a diaspora or a culture that just means that you understand how that feels. I never quite know how to put it into words; I think it's just a feeling you either know or you don't. But obviously, at that point, I completely assumed, you know, oh, this is just another girl, it's happened again. I was so frustrated but then suddenly, it just blew up. And it was everywhere. It was interesting because this hadn’t happened before. And so it makes you question, why now? What was it about that time? And I don't know the answer to that. But yeah, I definitely think the level of awareness impacted me in a different way for sure. It was a time of new connections amongst the Iranian diaspora which felt very powerful, and we can’t go back from that which I think is a good thing.
So let’s talk about film. Did you always know you wanted to be an actor?
Oh yeah, definitely. So I would do amateur theatre, do school plays. And I remember having a moment where I was on stage when I was eleven and remember how it felt in my entire body. I felt that if I could just do this forever, I'd be happy. Like, this is just all I want to do, and the feeling just never went away. I would say in other aspects of my life, I can kind of go through phases where I'll get really into a new hobby for a period of time, but acting is just my everlasting love. So I knew I wanted to do it from a really young age. I was a shy kid and I got put into extracurricular theatre classes on a Saturday for helping with my confidence. It just turned into my safe space. I wasn't particularly happy at school and once I was in my teen years, theatre was like my sanctuary. Somewhere where I felt more included. As you're probably aware with family, you know, it's not the typical route that your Iranian parents want you to go down. They want to know that you're going to do something with a sense of security. I don't know why but my mum was obsessed with the idea of me being an optician. I think she’s finally over it! But I remember being 18 and trying to kind of fight for drama school applications and things because that was what I really wanted to do [but didn’t end up applying]. But I was terrified by the idea and I was definitely somebody who didn't have the self-belief to go for it. I was someone that needed someone else, either a teacher or a parent, somebody to say ‘you are good enough, and you should give this a go.’ And I think not having that and not having it within myself to give myself that meant that I parked that idea and I went to uni. I did do a drama degree, so it sort of felt like a compromise at the time. It was quite academic so it was definitely very different to doing an acting degree. Once I finally finished uni, I had a year where I was trying to figure out how to be an actor on my own which was really tricky. I spent a couple of months in the States. And that was really positive but it kind of meant that I learned how the American industry worked more than the British. And the differences were a bit of a hindrance. So I eventually figured it out and did a post-grad in screen acting and then when I graduated, I managed to get my first agent.
‘If they haven’t done their research and don’t have a cultural consultant, then I am essentially fixing all of their mistakes on top of trying to be the best actor I can be’
When you were younger, I suppose it was very much the case that the main character in films was often the blonde girl that we’ve kind of touched on, right? Was that something you have been cognizant of in your work?
So I've been working with an agent professionally since 2016. And I would say, through that time, I've definitely seen a big change in the industry, for sure. But generally, if you look at the statistics for MENA artists it's awful. The American statistics are that every year something like under 1% of roles go to MENA actors. And that's America, which I would say is well ahead of the British industry. So we're still not in a great place. And when you look at the statistics, it does feel disheartening. But I have felt positive changes in the last couple of years and I think it's the change that we needed to see — that we have more MENA filmmakers and Iranian filmmakers who are in positions where they're making our stories. They're taking the power and telling our stories and casting us. And I think that's so important, because that's when people feel seen on screen and that the opportunities for us don't feel traumatic on some level. I've definitely done jobs where I'm in a very traumatic role. It's very emotionally draining. Usually I believe in the story and believe that there's a space for it and so I've chosen to do it for whatever particular reason it is. But sometimes it's being written by people who haven't done their research. Nobody on board is from that part of the world, they don't even have a culture consultant. And then I am essentially fixing all of their mistakes on top of trying to be the best actor I can be and be prepared for the role and just doing my job on set. Instead, I'm basically being a culture consultant at the same time. And it's incredibly draining, and it changes the whole experience for you.
“I just want to play someone who has an entire life and might also happen to be Iranian”
Thank you for raising that. I actually wanted to ask what you see as some of the major barriers in film for SWANA people and how you deal with that?
When the strikes happened and American auditions were out of the picture, I definitely started to feel more like I was in a box with what I was getting seen for. It can feel very limiting when it comes to the stories that you want to tell, and like, the type of questions that I might be asked in press in comparison to my colleagues. You're sort of approached as if you're a spokesperson for a topic going on in a certain country rather than being asked about the craft or the art of it, the process of collaborating and creating. But what that specifically looks like for me is that there will be things I will instantly say no to if it feels completely unauthentic. Or if I don't believe that it's being made for the right reasons. There are still things I'll say no to because I read it and it's just totally glamorising something I can’t believe in. There will be moral reasons as to why I'll say no to things, or if I feel like it is just going to totally pigeonhole me. Or there might be something that I feel has a lot of potential, but they haven't done their research correctly. And so if they're serious about me, then I'll want to know in the room. For example, on a final audition, I would want to have a chat with them about that and see how open they are. And if they're very receptive, then that's kind of how I know okay, this can be a collaboration that's open and I'm going to be listened to. Because I've definitely had experiences, earlier on in my career, where I didn't feel like I had that. And now I think I need to know that there's space for that in order for me to take that role. Otherwise, it can genuinely be quite traumatising. And it's your face at the end of the day, representing your community. I can't do that as a lie.
And how do you find navigating that in terms of how the work is received? I guess you don’t see the end product so presumably you aren’t always 100% aligned with the outcome. How have you found that, once something’s out in the world?
I think it's scary when it comes to cultural authenticity. And it's always a risk. You just never know how something's going to be edited. There is a scene — I don't want to talk about things in too much detail — but there is a scene that I fairly recently had to go back and forth on a lot because there were so many mistakes in it. The character was saying things I absolutely could not say, they were complete lies. And to be honest, it wasn't until I was on set doing that scene that I really thought about it. And things could always be edited in a way that makes no sense and that feels scary. But I think right now I'm really in a place where I'm feeling more confident about saying no to things, for sure.
And there's advocacy work that I do, that I'm really passionate about and I never want to stop doing — but I didn't go into acting to just do roles that mean you're perceived as an activist, more than as an actor. I want those things to be separate. I just want to play someone who has an entire life and might also happen to be Iranian. I love genre films and would love to work in that space more.
It's so fascinating to hear about. And speaking of activism and acting — good segue into Yellow! — so, you are BAFTA and Oscar nominated. Congratulations! That must feel amazing. What was the process of being involved in that production like?
Yeah, so the director and writer I had worked with before. We met when I auditioned for his first short, so he's been acting for a really long time and decided to go into filmmaking too. I auditioned for his first short and we made that a few years ago. It did very well, especially for somebody's first short and it went viral online. And so when Elham [Ehsas] had the idea for this one and finished writing it, he approached me. I was already very aware of everything going on in Afghanistan. My dad worked with Afghans, so I grew up with Afghans in my life who felt like family. And I remember how I felt on the 15th of August 2021, where we had one day where there was global exposure and support [following the Taliban’s takeover]. In my opinion, it lasted a day. Whereas that day actually has resulted in two years of tragedy that we're still seeing. I mean, the suicide rates for women in Afghanistan have gone up a lot recently. So I still feel like we're seeing the results of that. However, it's not being spoken about at all. And so for me, it was a writer-director who makes cinema creatively in a way that I find aligns with me and feels fulfilling. And so there was so much creative fulfilment in it, as well as a subject matter that I felt has completely disappeared. And we ideally wanted it to get to that level of exposure. And that happened, which is amazing.
And how do you approach playing actors with heritage that's not your own, but is also from the region? Is that something that you have spent much time grappling with?
Yeah, so I've played Afghans before, it wasn't my first role working with the Dari language, and so that definitely helped. I've played Arabs before. My opinion is that, as actors, we can't only play the country we're from. Otherwise, it doesn't make sense, we're sort of further limiting ourselves. I think as long as we're from that part of the world, it should be okay. And there is research and surveys that have been done which show that generally actors of global majority backgrounds agree with that. There's a very small percentage that think you should just only be allowed to play Egyptian if you're Egyptian, for example. And so apart from that, it's really just immersing yourself in a world, in the same way that you would do for any character. In the same way you might not feel familiar with being a mother because you've never been a mother. That becomes an aspect of your prep and your research. I also think the context of the individual project needs to be considered, sometimes there’s an important reason why the actor should absolutely be from that particular country.
How do you find acting in Farsi?
It's so interesting acting in your other language because you associate languages in different ways. So it brings out feelings, and your passion, and certain subject matters in a new way. I think it becomes a way of actually getting to know and learn about yourself. So it’s a really interesting process and I'm really glad I've been able to have more experiences with it. I hope more will come, I'd love to do more.
That's such a beautiful approach. So I have two more questions that I ask everyone. The first one is, who's someone from a SWANA diaspora who is inspiring you right now?
Hiam Abbas. I mean first of all, who else can say that they were in one of the greatest television dramas ever made (Succession) at the same time as an excellent and revolutionary sitcom (Ramy). And they’re both projects which feel like they are all about the art and the work, which have also rightfully ended up being super successful. She manages to immerse herself in both parts in a way where you could almost not even notice that it’s the same actor, which I think is an incredible skill that I would love to be able to do. Her journey as an artist and all of her work is so inspiring and magnetic.
And then the last one is, is there a cultural text — and it could be a film, a book, or anything — that's kind of changed the way you think? Or, that’s had the biggest impact on you?
I remember watching M for Mother starring Golshifteh Farahani in a cinema in Iran when I was 15. It was my first time watching her act but I already knew who she was because it was in the first couple of years of the neverending question I still get asked: ‘Has anyone ever told you you look like Golshifteh Farahani?’ I loved the film and I think the depths she goes to, considering the amount of darkness her character goes through, felt like watching this young actress boss their way through a marathon. It felt so brave and raw. I still feel so grateful that I happened to be in Iran when that film was in the cinema. It’s had an everlasting impact on me in a lot of ways.
And I mean, this feels like quite an obvious one but I remember the first time that I read Persepolis and that was a big one for me. I'd never seen or experienced a book going on an entire journey of a woman's life from that perspective, it blew my teenage mind that I could be a fly on the wall for it. At the time, it felt like there were no films like that or anything, or at least as far as I knew. So I remember experiencing that book and feeling like I was being seen and heard in a way I never had before.
I remember that having a big impact on me as well. The animated film was also wonderful. Maybe we're just waiting for our live-action version! Okay, so that's all my questions. Thank you so much, Afsaneh.
Thank you so much. This was such a great conversation. Thank you for your thoughtful questions. I appreciate it!