“What if I were you?” Fereshte Hosseini’s voice carries an urgency as if she poses the question to herself while also addressing the world.
Born to Afghan immigrants in Iran, Hosseini has risen to prominence in the country’s film industry, all while challenging the societal expectations placed on women in Iran.
“I wanted to earn respect,” she says.
Her words testify to a lifelong battle for recognition — an arduous journey to rise above the poverty that shaped her upbringing and to confront the prejudice endured by Afghan migrants in her adopted country.
Hosseini, 27, is married to fellow actor Navid Mohammadzadeh, an Iranian superstar. She credits her husband’s support and inspiration as key motivators to persevere in her career, no matter the challenges.
When Hosseini enters the café in central Tehran, where we agreed to meet, she wears a black jumpsuit, her face hidden by large shades that shield her from prying eyes.
She exudes calm and warmth when she describes her journey in perfect English, giving the impression of someone who has had to work hard for her success.
Endless balancing act
Hosseini’s success has brought a new set of challenges.
“You have to be careful,” she says about working on international film projects.
Each of her roles, each of her characters, need to comply with Iran’s strict dress code for women, including the requirement to wear a headscarf, Hosseini says.
“This is the big issue now,” she says. “You can only choose scripts that respect Iranian rules.”
She has already been forced to pass on many parts due to those circumstances, Hosseini says.
In an endless balancing act, women in Iran must constantly gauge how far they can push boundaries.
Two years after nationwide protests erupted over the death of Iranian-Kurdish woman Jina Mahsa Amini in police custody – protests that quickly evolved into a broader demand for women’s rights – the challenges facing Iranian actresses have only intensified.
Some of Hosseini’s colleagues were banned from working, while acclaimed filmmakers like Mohammad Rasoulof have fled into exile in Europe.
Hosseini also considered leaving when receiving an award for her film “Raftan” in Morocco 10 years ago.
Initially, she had planned not to return to Iran but then changed her mind. “It’s my home here.”
Invisible neighbours
Iran and Afghanistan are bound by a complex history and shared linguistic and cultural roots.
Afghans have come to the neighbouring country for decades to escape conflict at home or in search of a better life.
Today, the Afghan community is deeply entrenched in Iranian society.
Many migrants work in the low-wage sector in big cities, on construction sites, in small supermarkets, as nannies and cleaners – jobs that many Iranians don’t want to do.
Hosseini’s family fled Afghanistan some 30 years ago to settle in a Tehran suburb where she was born, one of seven children.
“We were a big family and we were broke,” she recalls.
Determined to earn respect and recognition, Hosseini decided she wanted to become an actress.
“I still can see how they were treating my parents or my sisters in school or on the streets just because of who we are.”
“My family didn’t support me at first,” she says. “They
thought I’m disgracing them.” They have long since changed their mind.
After the Taliban’s return to power in August 2021, countless Afghans fled the country, with many finding themselves stranded in Iran.
According to the UN refugee agency, around 4.5 million Afghans are currently living in Iran, a country of almost 90 million.
The recent influx of Afghan refugees has fuelled growing prejudice against the community. In September, the Interior Ministry announced plans to deport 2 million Afghans lacking legal residence permits.
Hosseini is no stranger to such attitudes, explaining that as her fame grows, she has been facing more and more hate on social media.
“It used to hurt me a lot when I was younger, but not anymore, because I knew that it’s not real,” she says, recalling how she learnt to protect herself against online abuse.
Amidst it all, Hosseini says her husband remains a crucial source of strength, driving both her determination and her ambitions.
“When he was rehearsing or acting in front of the camera, it was like something else was coming out from his soul and his body. I started
thinking, ‘What if I can do that?'”
Building bridges on the big screen
Hosseini received Iranian citizenship after marrying Mohammadzadeh – a mere formality since she considers Iran to be home anyway, she says.
She has long set her sights on goals beyond the national borders.
“I want to grow, to be a person that can act on something and change something,” she says.
Her last international role in the Serbian drama “Dwelling Among the Gods” has encouraged her to think more expansively about her career as an actress, Hosseini says.
Today, the stage serves as a platform for her to challenge hostility and assert her own identity.
Iranian cinema, Hosseini hopes, could help dismantle prejudice and foster empathy.
“Whenever they want to make a movie about Afghan people here … they think about the worst story that can happen.”
Instead of seeing migrants as the ‘alien other,’ she says, we need to cultivate more understanding.
“All I’m saying is we just have to be open with other people, to communicate with them, to see what is in their heart, what is in their mind.”
Fereshte Hosseini during an interview in Tehran. Arne Immanuel Bänsch/dpa
Iranian-Afghan actress Fereshte Hosseini hopes that Iranian cinema could help dismantle prejudice against the Afghan community in the country. Arne Immanuel Bänsch/dpa
A man stands in front of a greengrocer’s in Tehran. According to the UN refugee agency, around 4.5 million Afghans are currently living in Iran, a country of almost 90 million. Many migrants work in the low-wage sector in big cities, on construction sites, in small supermarkets, as nannies and cleaners – jobs that many Iranians don’t want to do. Arne Immanuel Bänsch/dpa