Marva Nabil’s long-forgotten feature film was made in 1977 and portrays a young Iranian woman who lives according to the rhythm of daily life in her village, a community near Dezful in the south of the country. Her days are governed by the repetitive patterns of domestic life, until she finally rebels against them, both in her private and public life. “The Sealed Soil” war Nabilis Ab­schlussarbeit, als linke Filmstudentin reflektiert sie darin nur zwei Jah­re vor der iranischen Revolution Themen wie die tägliche Hausarbeit, die Vertreibung ethnischer Gemeinschaften aus ihrer Heimat unter der Pahlavi-Monarchie sowie die Verschleierung von Frauenkörpern und rückt damit die stillen Kämpfe des Widerstands in den Vorder­grund. Obwohl bei seiner Premiere 1977 in London von der Kritik ge­feiert, wurde der Film aufgrund der iranischen Revolution von 1979 nie im Iran gezeigt. Bis zu seiner Restaurierung im Jahr 2024 blieb „The Sealed Soil“ weitgehend unbekannt. (Filmmuseum) 

“‘Sealed Earth’ […] is a quiet film about a young woman who claims her right to the world’s sensuality. […] The film moves the viewer with the beauty of its intimate images. They are composed like Persian miniatures, in which people occupy little space, allowing the imagination to unfold all the more freely.” (T. Dannenberg, Perlentaucher) 

„A hidden landmark.“ (J. Hoberman, New York Times) 

“Breathtaking in its directorial finesse and restraint, and unsparing in its critique of institutionalised misogyny, this is a masterpiece of world cinema that has been overlooked for far too long.” – Venera Films 

Special screening at the Austrian Film Museum in collaboration with the Haus der Geschichte Österreich (hdgö) as part of the exhibition “All Work. Women between Paid Employment and Care Work, Blaschka Photo Archive