Rehearsals for a Revolution is a Lesson in Courage, Family and Tenacity

 

Fathers and daughters have a special bond.  Being the daughter of a U.S. Marine, I learned to never be afraid of anything.  Not another person, not a goal and most of all learning to not be afraid of myself and where my potential could lead me personally and professionally.  My father left this realm over a year ago and I have the only military uniform jacket he had to remind me on a daily basis to not forget my fearlessness.  Every daughter on the face of the planet who has lost a father knows exactly what I mean, especially Pegah Ahangarani.

Pegah couldn’t fall asleep without her father’s cap as a kid and remembered that he always had a Super 8 camera.  A camera that would fuel her future existence as a revolutionary filmmaker along with her mother, defying the odds of what was even conceivable as a career for a woman in her country.Drafted through five portraits of relatives and mentors, five expressions of resistance, Ahangarani sketches her life story with Rehearsal for a Revolution.

Drawing from personal archives, home videos, street protests footage, newspapers, and recorded voices, she retraces more than 40 years of Iran’s history. From the early days of 1979, until the war that began in 2026, she pieces together intimate and collective memories, forming the portrait of a country shaped by political repression and in constant hope for a revolution.

Guilt is everywhere in our history, whether domestic or global. One of Pegah’s most regretful moments and a moment that struck a chord, was contributing to the dismissal of her literature teacher.  Describing her as a woman with golden curls who looked like an animated princess, it was clear how much she adored Mrs. Sarreff. Yet, Pegah, in her naive sensibility told about pictures of girls taken by the teacher during a party given at her home. Those pictures resulted in her dismissal and for fear of being murdered, she fled Iran. This shattered my heart in a million pieces as an educator was being punished for simply having fun and inspiring her students.

Or, the moments captured with her running from guards, dropping her camera and capturing the unrest in the streets in 2009 during the Green movement were jaw dropping.

As narrator of her own story, you hang on Pegah’s every word as her descriptions of every personal detail is absolutely riveting.  This is why it is particularly disheartening to learn I would not have the opportunity to share my feelings with this amazingly gifted woman.  Due to the state of politics in our world and despite having all the necessary documents, Pegah was not permitted to attend the Telluride Film Festival.

What does that tell me? This film is more important than ever. To learn of Iranians past struggles and the life they are forced to endure today as a result of a manufactured war hits hard.  It’s a constant reminder of the struggle for women, students and activists in their country, but how all those things are mirrored in our homeland.

Rehearsals for a Revolution illustrates how parents and family can shape the type of human being you become.  Pegah was taught to fight by capturing moving images and I was taught to fight with my words and artistry to stand up for the underdog and women with every opportunity I am blessed to receive.  It’s a fight worth fighting no matter where in the world you were raised. Having the courage to never give up and speak out can never be underestimated.