

Festival Season:
March 2025
TOWARDS MINA

Directors:
Writers:
Mehdi Arhami
Mehdi Arhami
Producers:
Mehdi Arhami
Run Time:
0:14:59
Awarded for the following Category(s):
Awarded Category(s)
This film is about a woman who tries to get back what she's lost, despite facing pressure from outside forces. Along the way, she meets the people who put her in this situation

Submitter Statement
In Middle East, the place I was born in, is where there are more definitions and policies for gender than for being human. Since birth, the clash of these meanings in my daily life and work has confused me about existence and gender. A bewildered being in its narrow channels of tradition and history. In this exploration, I have seen many women and listened to their voices, wanting to portray them. In this geography, despite all the adversities, women are merely used as tools for reproduction, relegating their status from creative personalities and life-givers to a lower position. This film depicts a woman whom we watch in our daily lives, but we only witness a moment of her life. We don't know her story, but we hear and see her suffering and emotions.
Initially, the film portrays the power of a woman to survive in the worst conditions and the damages she witnesses from her environment. Then, attention shifts to the impact of policies and decisions of the elites on shaping the lives of young generations. Finally, by questioning the policy that sees a woman merely as a tool for reproduction, it completes its narrative.
Mehdi Arhami, born in 1997, is a master's student in directing. At first, he started working in the cinema industry by acting in movies and series in Iran. Then he continued his work as an assistant director in movies, until finally he made his first short film titled “Makeba”, which was selected for the RapidLion - The South African International Film Festival. Then, continuing his activity, he completed his second short film titled “towards Mina” in 2024.
Key Cast
Other Credits