The documentary “Kindergarten” directed by Haniye Yousefian is about children who are born in prison and are under 2 years old and have never seen outside of prison. It means that they have been in prison since they were born and grew up there with their mothers. The mothers of these children are criminals for various reasons and their crime is drug trafficking, murder, etc.
Haniye Yousufian about the formation of the idea of this documentary in a conversation with Online news He said: I was working in a news agency for a while and there I came across news about children who are born in prison and the prison has a place called kindergarten for these children, because not all prisons have this place. Some time later, I came across a proposal from the CEO of the news agency to make a film about such a topic, and I wrote the draft of this documentary.
He continued: Children have been and are one of my constant concerns. Something that I had discussed in my previous work. A work that has not yet been screened and is called “Progressive” and its subject is about the mother of a child who has a progressive disease, and I have taken into consideration the paradox of the mother’s paralysis and the child’s growth.
The director of the documentary “Kindergarten”, who was present at the 17th “Cinema-Ghekrit” festival, said about the audience’s reactions to this documentary: The reactions I received were completely different. Most of them said how sad the movie was or stated that they did not know about such a subject at all. Some had questions about the rights of the children whose images are shown in the film. Although I have answered them one by one, I will explain here. I had taken written permission from all the mothers that there is no problem showing the film in festivals and I promised that the film will not be shown anywhere like television. So far, limited screenings have been planned for this film. Although when these children grow up, their faces will be different, but due to the sensitivity of the mothers of these children, I also committed to this matter.
This documentary maker said about the screening of “Kindergarten”: According to what I have said, it is practically not possible to show and screen this documentary on the online platform. On the other hand, I personally prefer that “Kindergarten” be seen by an audience that has an impact on the lives of these children, and all my efforts have been to ensure that this documentary is watched by those who can make a positive impact on the future of these children.
In another part of his speech, Yousefian shared a memory from the time of the production of this documentary and said: I remember that in the space that was intended for children, the number of toys was limited and the entertainment available was repetitive to some extent. that my assistant and I became great friends of these children and our tools and equipment had become their toys. The reactions of the children were very funny. I remember that once I opened the tripod to put the camera on it and at the same time a very small child reached the tripod with great effort to touch it.
He added: I would also like to say here that the issue of education for the mothers of these children should be taken seriously. Most of these mothers have strong reactions to the children’s behavior and playfulness because of the drugs they take, which is not true.
Haniyeh Yousufian explained about the current situation of documentaries and documentaries: Unfortunately, the importance of documentaries in the space of the general audience is very low and we do not see new people in festivals; Either they are the owners of the works or those who have been present in the same space for several years. It is very important and good to be able to bring more audiences with the documentary. There is a lot of neglect of documentaries and I wish more attention would be paid to the material and spiritual conditions of documentaries. On the other hand, it is still not well understood by the general audience that documentary is not the only secret of survival.
He continued: The costs are high and the existing budgets are very low. Many of my own friends had to do other things to earn a living. It is a problem that if a fee is paid, it is only for the production of the film. Well, the question that arises here is what will happen to the livelihood of documentary makers? Why is this category not addressed?
Referring to the importance of education, this documentary maker said: Education in the documentary is very incomplete. In a university like Tehran University of Art, we have a very limited course related to documentary to the point where you graduate in cinema, but you will not know much about documentary and documentary making. In my opinion, even in such a place, the development center should come to the field and take a step in not leaving the documentary cinema alone.
The director of “Kindergarten” explained about the cooperation with the Center for the Development of Documentary, Experimental and Animated Cinema: When I wrote the draft of this documentary, I sent it to the center and after review by the Council, it was approved. This work really brought a lot of difficulties for me as a director and I thank God that it ended with a good result.
In the end, Haniye Yousufian said: I am busy collecting information for my new work, most of which will be archival. This film deals with the contemporary socio-political history of Iran and is somehow personal and family. Like most of my works, it may take at least two years, and for that reason, it will not make it to this year’s “Cinema-Ghekrit” festival.
“Kindergarten” is a production center for the development of documentary, experimental and animation cinema.
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