Seven Winters in Tehran

Opened Wednesday, June 7, 2023

In 2007, 19-year-old Reyhaneh Jabbari is sentenced to death in Iran for the murder of a man who tried to rape her. The efforts her family and supporters undertake open a window into the mass oppression and silencing of women in Iran, and the risks taken by those who defend and support them. 

Tehran, July 2007: Reyhaneh Jabarri has a business meeting with a new client. When he locks her in the apartment and attempts to rape her, she reacts in self-defense by stabbing him. Later that day, she is arrested for murder, and her trial results in a death sentence. Using secretly recorded videos provided by Reyhaneh’s family, their testimonies, and the beautiful, lyrical letters written by Reyhaneh from prison, voiced by Holy Spider actress Zar Amir Ebrahimi, Seven Winters in Tehran opens a window into the many ways women are oppressed and silenced in Iran, and the immense risks taken by those who defend and support them. This energizing documentary not only highlights the women’s efforts behind this case, but also shows a truly incredible figure in Reyhaneh, who became a symbol of resistance and women’s rights worldwide.

“Seven Winters in Tehran shows very clearly the patriarchy and injustices experienced by women in Iran, as well as how laws protect the honor of men.” — Regina Tames, deputy director, Women’s Rights Division, Human Rights Watch 

Screening as part of the Human Rights Watch Film Festival 2023.

Content Advisory: This film contains descriptions of rape, sexual enslavement involving a minor, imprisonment, torture, and execution. 

• Country Germany
• Language Farsi with English Subtitles
• Running Time 97 minutes
• Distributor Human Rights Watch FF
• Director Steffi Niederzoll
• Accessibility Descriptive Audio, Open Captioning

IFC Center does not generally provide advisories about subject matter or potentially triggering content in films, as sensitivities vary from person to person. In addition to the synopses, trailers and other links on our website, further information about content and age-appropriateness for specific films can be found on Common Sense Media, IMDb and DoesTheDogDie.com as well as through general internet searches.