On Friday, March 11 at 18:00, EUSP Conference Hall, IMARES program hosted Norwegian film director Beate Petersen presenting her film followed by a discussion. The event was made possible by the generous support of Office for Contemporary Art Norway.
In 1842 the 11 year-old heir to the Persian throne received a camera from Queen Victoria of England. The young heir fell in love with the magical contraption. In the following decades he documented his life, revealing to the public eye, what it was never supposed to see. “Nasseredin Shah and his 84 Wives” is based on the photos taken by the Shah himself, as well as by his court. With the addition of animated sequences, it tells the story of the rivalry and intrigues within the harem, the corruption, the political power struggle, the murders, and of Persia’s troubled relation to Europe.
The documentary focuses on an aspect that is all too often overlooked: that is, the influential role played by women in the origins of modern Iran.
Nasseredin Shah with some of his wives.
The Shah’s mother with Nasseredin Shah in the background, playing on the slide.