TEHRAN -- “Without the Cedar of Simin”, a documentary being made by Seyyed Javad Mirhashemi about the Iranian author and translator Simin Daneshvar, has obtained financial sponsorship from the Documentary and Experimental Film Center (DEFC).
“All aspects of her life from her career in education to her married life with author Jalal Al-e Ahmad life should be take into consideration by any filmmaker who plans to spotlight her life,” Mirhashemi said in press release published by DEFC on Wednesday.
Known as the first Iranian female novelist, Daneshvar died at the age of 90 in March 2012.
“She is a valuable source and filmmakers could approach her life from many different angles,” he added.
Mirhashemi published a book of the same name based on the interviews he had conducted for the documentary in July 2013. A brief excerpt of the interviews recorded on a DVD was also offered with the book.
He was seeking a producer to complete his documentary at that time.
Now, he is planning to travel to the southern Iranian city of Shiraz to complete the documentary in the near future.
Many literati including Mahmud Dowlatabadi, Simin Behbahani, Mohammad-Ali Sepanlu and Javad Mojabi appear commenting on Daneshvar in the documentary.
“People should leave behind all things they know about Daneshvar when they go to see this documentary,” Mirhashemi said.
“It has something new to say about her life,” he added.
Daneshvar wrote her first book entitled “Extinguished Fire” in 1922 when she was 27.
She was also the author of “A City Like Heaven”, “To Whom Shall I Say Hello?”, “Wandering Island” and “Wandering Cameleer”.
“The Chocolate Soldier” by George Bernard Shaw, “Enemies” by Anton Chekov, “Cry, the Beloved Country” by Alan Paton and “The Scarlet Letter” by Nathaniel Hawthorne were translated into Persian by Daneshvar.
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