Directed by Negin Kianfar & Daisy Mohr, 2006, Iran, 72 mins

The Netherlands, Iran, 2006

Production: Gijs van de Westelaken for Column Film

Photography: Besnan Monadizadeh
Editing: Ewoud Hendriksen

Music: Rainer Hensel

Involved TV Channel: IKON

"The Birthday": Dutch Documentary on Iranian Transsexuals

Iranian-Dutch filmmakers Negin Kianfar and Daisy Mohr take viewers inside the experience of young Iranian men who decide to become women. As noted here before, sex change operations in Iran are legal, sanctioned by none other than Khomenei himself.

If you don't speak Farsi or Dutch, the documentary "The Birthday" may be bit tough to follow, but it's worth it even for the on-the-street, behind-closed-doors, and in-the-operating-room visuals. Watching conservative Iranian parents try to come to terms with their son's decision is particularly interesting. Heading into doctor's office is also eye-opening. And simply walking the streets of Iranian cities like Qom offers a window into a world non-Iranians rarely see.

According to an Iranian specialist on sex change operations, "if Iran is a paradise for transsexuals, it's because of the good support of the authorities." Because the Koran doesn't say anything on the subject, transsexuality isn't forbidden in Iran and transsexuals don't have to fear prosecution. Ayatollah Khomeini even granted religious permission for people to get sex change operations. All the same, transsexuals in Iran do not make a habit of broadcasting the fact that they feel awkward in their bodies.

The Birthday follows a young man in the period right before and after surgery. At the end, she struggles to blow out the candles on her cake. From now on, she will have to wear a veil outside, because womanhood in Iran also means that you cannot go out without covering your head. Her religious family has a hard time with it, but nevertheless they accept the new sexual identity of their son, who already had a boyfriend before the operation. In addition to this case, the film follows some other transsexuals in their daily life, including a couple that consists of a man who feels like a woman and a woman who feels like a man. Doctors and clergymen also comment on transsexuality and the consequences it has on an Islamic society.

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