by NANDINI RAMNATH
‘And, Towards Happy Alleys’ is among the documentaries showing at the Mumbai International Film Festival.
Like countless others around the world, Sreemoyee Singh fell headlong in love with Iranian cinema. But unlike most others, Singh layered her cinephilia with Persophilia.
Singh began to study Farsi in India, then updated her language skills after travelling to Iran, where she pursued doctoral research on exiled filmmakers in post-revolution Iran. Alongside she made a documentary on Iranian cinema. And, Towards Happy Alleys is the outcome of this remarkable endeavour – a beguiling portrait by an enthusiastic, empathetic observer of a culture torn between severe repression and a yearning for freedom.Advertisement
The documentary, filmed by Singh herself during several trips to Tehran between 2015 and 2019, involved an “intensive, long process that felt like life itself”, she told Scroll. “These kinds of documentaries grow from life experiences, from being present.”
Singh’s debut directorial effort was premiered in 2023 and shown at the ongoing Mumbai International Film Festival. Following the screening, the 35-year-old Kolkata native addressed queries about her production process. Then she sang a Persian song, in a strong, mellifluous voice.
The song features prominently in Singh’s documentary. She sings more than once: to a crowd of mostly men, to a classroom of girls who sing along despite their teacher’s warning, in a shop on the encouragement of Iranian director Jafar Panahi. As an outsider, Singh has a privilege that is forbidden to Iranian women. While her film explores restrictions on expression, the documentary is equally about the very act of creation, of finding the thread that runs through seemingly disconnected vignettes.
“The language of the film slowly emerged – everything was happening together,” Singh explained. “The first three months led to 60% of the shots used in the film. I was present with my camera and I really followed my gut.”
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