Exclusive: CAT&Docs, a Paris-based documentary filmmaking company, has acquired the international rights to the film by Iranian director Afsaneh Salari. Tehran, under the skin It released the first trailer ahead of its world premiere at TIFF Docs.
The documentary takes an insightful look at life in Iran through its growing obsession with plastic surgery at a time when the country was in the global spotlight due to a brutal crackdown on pro-democracy protests followed by its conflict with the United States and Israel.
“After the Women, Life and Freedom movement dominated news headlines related to Iran, Tehran, under the skin “It takes us somewhere we haven’t seen on screen: the private, unattractive decisions people make about their bodies when almost every other form of self-expression is restricted,” said Catherine Lowliffe, president of CAT&Docs.
“Tehran, under the skin He took us somewhere we’ve never seen on screen: the private, unattractive decisions people make about their bodies when almost every other form of self-expression is restricted. Afsaneh Salari never tells us how to feel about it, only allows us to observe closely and frankly.
Produced by veteran documentary producer Christian Pope of Tanjo Films in association with YAMI 2 Productions, Salari’s work examines the obsessive fever of Tehran’s (legal) plastic surgery industry, painting a portrait of a city where women’s bodies reveal the invisible crossroads of politics, beauty, and personal agency.
Bob said: “I have known CAT&Docs for years and am really impressed by their carefully curated catalog of many Iranian films. Their commitment and hard work to each of the films they represent is admirable. I have never worked with them before and was thrilled they agreed to come along for the ride Tehran, under the skin“.
It is Salari’s second feature documentary after 2020’s The Silhouettes, about an Afghan refugee who grew up in Iran and plans to return to Afghanistan in search of work. Speaking about the idea for her new film, Salari explained that it stemmed from her observations of her native country from afar.
“During the fifteen years I lived outside Iran,” Salari continued. “I am amazed by the way Tehran continues to reinvent itself, not by those in power, but by the people who inhabit it.”
“For this film, the epidemic of plastic surgery becomes a window through which I observe Tehran and get under its skin, performing a kind of biopsy of its relationship to the female body. The film itself follows that gesture of incision, moving through bodies, memories, and spaces in search of what lies beneath the visible.”
Salari was joined on the project by a handful of Iranian crew including cinematographer Mohammad Haddadi (My favorite cake); Sound Designer Ansia Laila Maleki (vision) as well as award-winning French editor Audrey Morion (I love you all(And the painter Nicolas Perret)Sumsum, Starry Night) and Swedish-Iranian composer Shida Shihabi (Elsie).
Salari also handled the sound along with Mohsen Al-Zahrabi, while she was supported by assistant director Sepideh Jamshidi and production manager Rebecca Wirth.
Production partners joining Tanjo Films and YAMI 2 Productions are co-producer Docmaniacs in collaboration with Sisyfos Films, with participation from France Télévisions, 3Cat and TVP, with support from CNC, Procirep – Societe des Producteurs and Angoa, with funding from Creative Europe – Media.
“I’ve known CAT&Docs for years and am really impressed by their carefully curated catalog of many Iranian films,” said Bob.
Their commitment and hard work in each of the films they act in is admirable. I had never worked with them before and was thrilled they agreed to join me on a trip Tehran, under the skin“.
