An Iranian woman sentenced to death becomes a symbol of the fight for women’s rights: the shocking documentary “Seven Winters in Tehran” tells her story.

The shocking documentary “Seven Winters in Tehran” takes us to the capital of Iran. In 2007, 19-year-old Reyhane Jabbar stabbed a man who tried to rape her. He was charged with murder and sentenced to death.

Using images shot secretly, Seven Winters in Tehran shows the family’s struggle to save Reyhane, who has become a symbol of the struggle for women’s rights in Iran.

A heartbreaking story

The documentary is directed by German film director Steffi Niederzoll. The latter learned about Reyhane’s story from the press in 2014. His case received significant media coverage in Germany, where one of his uncles lived.

At the time, her story was just one of many heartbreaking stories in the newspapers. Then, in 2016, through my Iranian partner at the time, the director met Chole’s cousin (Reyhane’s mother) and his wife in Istanbul – they had fled Iran and were stuck in Turkey.

“They tried to save secretly filmed videos related to Reyhane’s case. One video in particular upset me: it showed Cholet sitting in a car in front of the prison, waiting to find out if his daughter would be pardoned or shot.”Steffi Niederzoll recalls.

This moment full of hope and distress left an indelible mark in the director’s mind. “In the following months I made several trips to Turkey, gradually we became friends and I was asked if I could make a film out of these pictures?”he says.

Secret shooting

From the beginning of the project, it was clear that Steffi Niederzoll and his team would not be able to get permission to shoot the film in Iran.

With the help of Zebra Crop, an Iranian producer, the director was able to access the archives of a crew in Iran who shot footage of Tehran during Reyhane’s imprisonment.

“We were still missing shots of specific locations that play a role in the story, like outside the prison or the house where Reyhane was attacked.”– says the director.

According to Steffi Niederzoll, photographing these places was dangerous and their authors could be sent to prison. “The people who took this footage took a risk because they were convinced that this film had to be made.”

An actor who gives his personality

Loyal actor Zar Amir Ebrahim was chosen by Steffi Niederzoll to voice Reyhane. The artist, who was forced to flee Iran, has seen his profile grow following his interpretation prize in 2022 for his role as a determined journalist in Les Nuits de Mashhad.

One of the main challenges of the film for Steffi Niederzoll was to hear Rihanna’s voice and bring her thoughts and feelings to life. The director relied on excerpts from notes and letters he wrote while incarcerated.

“He read parts of these letters to his mother over the phone so Scholl could write them down to avoid censorship by the prison authorities. But other parts only existed as text.”– says the film director.

“So I decided to find an actor who would embody them, give them soul and depth. It was important to me that this actor be politically engaged. He is an Iranian filmmaker. Sina Athayani Dena who recommended his friend Zar Amir Ebrahim to me”The director confides.