Seven Winters in Tehran

The story of brave Iranian Reyhaneh Jabbari. At 19, Reyhaneh killed a man who threatened to rape her. Her death sentence can be revoked if the victim’s family forgives her. For Reyhaneh, it becomes a choice between her life and her values. 
 
Reyhaneh Jabbari’s life was changed forever when the man with whom she thought she had a business meeting, locked the door and threatened to rape her. Picking up a knife from the table, Reyhaneh stabbed him and fled. After the man died from his wounds, she was charged with murder. In a grossly unfair trial – the judge said Reyhaneh should have let herself be raped and file a complaint later – she is sentenced to ‘blood revenge’. This is a death sentence, allowing the victim’s family to either execute, or forgive her. 
 
What happened in the years that followed is told in a both emotional and suspense-filled way. Her mother, father and sisters offer gripping testimonies, and have documented their fight to revoke the sentence with secretly recorded video’s. Most impressive of all are Reyhaneh’s letters from prison. These are beautiful, harrowing, sensitive letters, full of detail about her life in prison, her fellow inmates, her memories and convictions. Truly awe-inspiring story of an Iranian hero. 

Seven Winters in Teheran has been part of the Activist competition 2023, with Shahrzad Jabbari as a special guest of the festival.