‘Bags here are rarely innocent’ – how filmmakers work around censorship in Iran

In Iran, films must conform to the government’s strict interpretation of Islam to be screened in theatres. This means that the skin of male and female characters can never touch, among many other restrictions. Irani Bag, created by the Iranian artist Maryam Tafakory, explores how prop bags are used as ‘mediators of touch’ in Iranian cinema. The video essay features a collection of scenes from 1990 to 2018 in which bags stand in for hands, be they affectionately held, momentarily connecting or violently attacking. Through this framework, Tafakory provides a shrewd and stylish analysis of the how the language of Iranian film mediates between human nature and the country’s censorship. For some cinephiles, the piece may bring to mind the Hays Code that governed filmmaking in Hollywood in the early to mid-20th century, providing a reminder that every popular art form is subject to rules that artists work within and around.