Keeping Iranian Women’s Stories Alive and Uncensored with Pourya Dow

A prolific Iranian filmmaker, Pourya Azarbayjani Dow has made five feature films, 126 episodes of TV series, and two feature-length documentaries, along with hundreds of TV commercials. He’s an American citizen and has enjoyed stints working in the US throughout his career, but has often had to return to Iran to find work. After his family’s lives were threatened the last time they returned, he’s now back in the US and working with partners, like Boston-based creative production company Conductor Productions, to establish his career elsewhere and tell stories about the situation in Iran without being silenced.

Initially a great place to work and make a good living, Pourya’s native Iran began to pose significant creative and personal challenges over time, with censorship that made telling his own stories and filmmaking difficult. Pourya was working in Iran when the Woman-Life-Freedom movement began in 2022 - these were protests for women’s rights that sparked after the death of a young woman, Mahsa Amini, while under custody of the Guidance Patrol (the Iranian government’s religious morality police). While the police reported the 22-year-old suffered a heart attack and a stroke, eyewitnesses say she was beaten.

During this time, where hundreds of protesters were killed by Iranian authorities, Pourya was under contract to make a TV series, and saw the sufferings and crimes committed by the government as he was in pre-production. Speaking to LBB’s Ben Conway about this time, he says he refused to turn a blind eye, and looked for a way out of his contract. “I didn't see a reason to continue working on something for entertainment when people were being killed on the streets,” he says.

“One evening, my wife, who is a great photographer, wanted to capture some photos of IRGC (Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps) personnel as they tried to shoot people. They noticed my wife and started pointing their guns at our apartment. That night, we decided to leave the country and try to tell the stories we needed to tell without censorship. Fortunately, as American citizens, we packed our lives in thirty days and moved here to continue storytelling as a mission of humanity.”

Growing up as an artist in Iran, Pourya derived a valuable lesson from navigating the limitations that censorship imposed on his storytelling. It forced him to explore a variety of forms and content to break free of restrictions, all while taking in the deep history and rich literary culture of Iran. “We learn to convey our narratives with depth and poetic essence,” he explains.

“When you examine films by [Abbas] Kiarostami, they may appear simple on the surface yet they possess the qualities of great poetry. This is the artistic background I come from in Iran, and now, as I endeavour to engage with this new atmosphere, I aim to contribute a distinct flavour to storytelling, drawing from the experiences and influences that shaped my artistic journey.”

This approach is currently manifesting in Pourya’s upcoming feature film, titled: ‘This is NOT my film’. The feature will be his final in the Farsi language and revolves around the story of a deceased girl in Tehran, and the unveiling of the truth behind her passing.

Now connected with a producer and in the fundraising stage, he believes the “powerful and emotional storyline” will resonate with a broad, global audience and “serve as a poignant reminder for those who may wish to forget such tragedies.” 

He says, “As a filmmaker, I find myself in a dilemma. Nevertheless, considering the escalating actions against filmmakers and the prevailing tendency to overlook the plight of courageous individuals in favour of economic interests, I believe it is crucial to persevere. Even though many people may choose to forget the struggles of those brave girls in order to move on with their lives, and despite the global powers closing their eyes to these crimes for the sake of economic deals, I am convinced that creating this film is a necessary step to keep their stories alive.”

Additionally, Pourya is currently exploring opportunities to venture into the American advertising world, either in a creative or directing role - having worked for over 15 years with Aftabnet, a prominent advertising agency in Iran. There, he honed his craft as a creative director, writer and director, using his same approach of deviating from conventional formulas to reach effective outcomes.

Pourya’s commercial work helped fund his previous feature films, 2007’s ‘Unfinished Stories’ and 2013’s ‘Everything Is Fine Here’, which both also explored women’s rights in Iran and premiered at the Toronto and Montreal film festivals respectively. 

“However, I never received permission to screen them publicly in Iran,” he adds. “So, this is not my  first time facing such challenges. I am aware that, given the current circumstances and the increasing crackdown on filmmakers, this time is more challenging.”

The director has also created content at the intersection of his heartfelt, political filmmaking and his commercial work. One such project is ‘Hometime’, a film made alongside Conductor Productions founder Noah Lydiard for adidas that tells a powerful story of immigration, survival and overcoming hardship.

“I am passionate about emotional storytelling in advertising,” he says. “When I initially pursued a career in filmmaking, I realised it might not be a secure profession to support a family, especially in an artistic capacity. Consequently, I began writing and directing commercials on the side, seeking a way to make them more personally resonant. The concept of creating emotional narratives around a brand or product and treating each commercial like an impactful short film stemmed from this realisation.”

As well as planning to shoot ‘This is NOT my film’, Pourya is actively pursuing greater involvement in the US ad landscape in the near future. “I am confident that I can create exceptional spots, infusing each brand with emotional depth to bring them to life. I am eagerly seeking more opportunities to turn these plans into reality.”

Deeply committed to portraying the values of humanity through films, he is consistently drawn to stories that have the potential to shed light on various social issues around the world. Apart from his upcoming feature film centred around the Woman-Life-Freedom movement, he has also developed two additional stories addressing other pressing social concerns. 

The core of his artistic foundation, he says, aligns with the ideas of ‘expressing painful feelings, standing up to power and uncovering new stories for new audiences’ - and his work both in features and commercially will continue to do so, as he forges this new era of his career in the US. 

“I firmly believe that our world needs more peace and love amidst its chaos, and I am dedicated to contributing towards that goal.”