\n<\/p>\n
“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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
“I wanted to earn respect,” she says.<\/p>\n
Her words testify to a lifelong battle for recognition \u2014 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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
When Hosseini enters the caf\u00e9 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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
Endless balancing act<\/strong><\/p>\n Hosseini’s success has brought a new set of challenges.<\/p>\n “You have to be careful,” she says about working on international film projects.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n “This is the big issue now,” she says. “You can only choose scripts that respect Iranian rules.”<\/p>\n She has already been forced to pass on many parts due to those circumstances, Hosseini says.<\/p>\n In an endless balancing act, women in Iran must constantly gauge how far they can push boundaries.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n Some of Hosseini’s colleagues were banned from working, while acclaimed filmmakers like Mohammad Rasoulof have fled into exile in Europe.<\/p>\n Hosseini also considered leaving when receiving an award for her film “Raftan” in Morocco 10 years ago.<\/p>\n Initially, she had planned not to return to Iran but then changed her mind. “It’s my home here.”<\/p>\n Invisible neighbours<\/strong><\/p>\n Iran and Afghanistan are bound by a complex history and shared linguistic and cultural roots.<\/p>\n Afghans have come to the neighbouring country for decades to escape conflict at home or in search of a better life.<\/p>\n Today, the Afghan community is deeply entrenched in Iranian society.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n Hosseini’s family fled Afghanistan some 30 years ago to settle in a Tehran suburb where she was born, one of seven children.<\/p>\n “We were a big family and we were broke,” she recalls.<\/p>\n Determined to earn respect and recognition, Hosseini decided she wanted to become an actress.<\/p>\n “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.”<\/p>\n “My family didn’t support me at first,” she says. “They After the Taliban’s return to power in August 2021, countless Afghans fled the country, with many finding themselves stranded in Iran.<\/p>\n According to the UN refugee agency, around 4.5 million Afghans are currently living in Iran, a country of almost 90 million.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n Hosseini is no stranger to such attitudes, explaining that as her fame grows, she has been facing more and more hate on social media.<\/p>\n “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.<\/p>\n Amidst it all, Hosseini says her husband remains a crucial source of strength, driving both her determination and her ambitions.<\/p>\n “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 Building bridges on the big screen<\/strong><\/p>\n Hosseini received Iranian citizenship after marrying Mohammadzadeh – a mere formality since she considers Iran to be home anyway, she says.<\/p>\n She has long set her sights on goals beyond the national borders.<\/p>\n “I want to grow, to be a person that can act on something and change something,” she says.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n Today, the stage serves as a platform for her to challenge hostility and assert her own identity.<\/p>\n Iranian cinema, Hosseini hopes, could help dismantle prejudice and foster empathy.<\/p>\n “Whenever they want to make a movie about Afghan people here … they think about the worst story that can happen.”<\/p>\n Instead of seeing migrants as the ‘alien other,’ she says, we need to cultivate more understanding.<\/p>\n “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.”<\/p>\n
thought I’m disgracing them.” They have long since changed their mind.<\/p>\n
thinking, ‘What if I can do that?'”<\/p>\n