The Ladies’ Room Raises Questions of Privacy

BY ENGY ADHAM

Iranian documentary The Ladies Room tackles issues of social stigma and taboo in the Islamic Republic of Iran using what some would say is an unconventional method – setting up a camera in a women’s bathroom with the film rolling all day.

The production, which was directed by Mahnaz Afzali, is the first to kick off the film series sponsored by the Department of Sociology, Anthropology, Psychology and Egyptology (SAPE).

After the screening was held, the floor was opened for discussions where attendees shared their concern on the ethical values of the movie.

“I have an ethical [problem] towards the movie regarding having a camera shooting in a ladies room all day,” said Eman Khereba, an Anthropology sophomore.

She added that even if the participants knew that they were being filmed, they were taking off their veils and putting them on again – a fact that concerns her.

Reem Saad, an associate professor at the Anthropology Department, was also concerned that recording and filming private conversations in the women’s washroom could be tantamount to a breach of privacy.

During the question answer session, Saad asked about the ethical steps for filming a documentary where ladies’ private stories go public.

The response to Khereba and Saad’s concerns was that the women knew that they were being filmed.

Professor of Anthropology, Ramy Aly, said that the movie stood out because no one expected an Iranian production to discuss issues like prostitution, social relations, religion and suicide.

“The idea is to get films to cover the familiar in an unusual way,” Aly said, adding that there are plans to hold a monthly anthropological film series.

Aly added that while attendance of the film series is not an academic requirement for the department’s students, the films could help develop their ideas on certain global and social issues.

“Some of these films could be used in teaching as the idea is to complement the mindset that students are supposed to develop,” Aly added.

The SAPE department will next screen a movie on Voodoo, a religious ritual often misperceived as the practice of sticking pins into dolls.

Khereba added that for future screenings, more publicity would be needed to reach out to the entire community.

Afzali is a well-known cinema and TV actress who directed her first documentary No Witness in 2000.