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Iran - The Stoning of Soraya M -
Film
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The
Stoning of Soraya M.
(Persian: .سنگسار
ثريا م) is a 2009 drama film adapted from French-Iranian
journalist Freidoune Sahebjam's 1994 novel of the same
name. The film is directed by Cyrus
Nowrasteh and stars Academy Award nominee Shohreh Aghdashloo, as well as James
Caviezel and Mozhan Marnò. Stoning had
its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival,
where it was the runner-up for the Audience Choice Award. and was the second
runner-up for the Cadillac People's Choice Award.
Stranded in a remote Iranian
village, Sahebjam is approached by Zahra, a woman with a harrowing tale to tell
about her niece, Soraya, and the bloody circumstances of her death just two
weeks before. Her story exposes the dark power of mob rule,
uncivil law, and the lack of rights for women. Her last and only hope for
justice lies in the hands of the journalist who must escape with the story -
and his life - in order to communicate the violence to the world.
"Once again, Zahra Khanum tied her chador around her
waist, kneeled down, and began to scratch the earth with her hands. The ground
was soft and moist. When the hole was large enough, she gathered, one by one,
her niece Soraya’s bones, took them down and washed them in the stream, then
returned and carefully placed them in the earthen grave, which she covered over
with leaves and branches. Then, and only then, did she pray and burst into
tears." [1]
The book tells the true story of one of the victims of stonings in modern Iran. Soraya M.'s husband Ghorban-Ali was an ambitious man, prone to rage with a lust for power. He wanted out of his marriage. When Soraya began cooking for the widowed husband of a friend, he found his excuse. Abetted by village authorities and aided by a skewed interpretation of Islamic law, he accused his wife of adultery. She was taken away, buried up to her shoulders and neck in the ground, and then stoned to death.
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