The Stoning of Soraya M.

Infobox Film
name = The Stoning of Soraya M. ( Persian سنگسار ثريا ميم )


caption =
director = Cyrus Nowrasteh
producer = Steven McEveety
John Shepherd
writer = Screenplay:
Cyrus Nowrasteh
Betsy Giffen Nowrasteh
Freidoune Sahebjam (novel)
starring = Shohreh Aghdashloo
Mozhan Marnò
Jim Caviezel
Parviz Sayyad
Ali Pourtash
Navid Negahban
Mohammad Yazdani
music = John Debney
cinematography = Joel Ransom
editing = David Handman Geoffrey Rowland
distributor = TBD
released = TBD
runtime = 116 min.
country = USA
website = http://www.thestoning.com
language = English, Persian
followed_by =
imdb_id = 1277737

"The Stoning of Soraya M." (Persian: سنگسار ثريا میم ); is a 2008 drama film adapted from French-Iranian journalist Freidoune Sahebjam's 1994 novel of the same name. The movie is directed by Cyrus Nowrasteh and stars Academy Award nominee Shohreh Aghdashloo, as well as James Caviezel and Mozhan Marnò. "Stoning" had its North American premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival and was the second runner-up for the Cadillac People's Choice Award.

Plot

Stranded in a remote Iranian village, Sahebjam is approached by Zahra, a woman with a harrowing tale to tell about her niece, Soraya, and the bloody circumstances of her death just two weeks before. Her story exposes the dark power of mob rule, uncivil law, and the utter lack of human rights for women under Islamic law. Her last and only hope for justice lies in the hands of the journalist who must escape with the story - and his life -in order to communicate the violence to the world.

The book

"Once again, Zahra Khanum tied her chador around her waist, kneeled down, and began to scratch the earth with her hands. The ground was soft and moist. When the hole was large enough, she gathered, one by one, her niece Soraya’s bones, took them down and washed them in the stream, then returned and carefully placed them in the earthen grave, which she covered over with leaves and branches. Then, and only then, did she pray and burst into tears." [Sahebjam, Freidoune "The Stoning of Soraya M." Arcade Publishing, 1994]

While stoning has been outlawed by many countries, it is still a much debated topic in Islamic circles. [ [http://www.stop-stoning.org/node/13] ] The Iranian judiciary officially placed a moratorium on stoning in 2002 [ [http://www.meydaan.net/UserFiles/File/Terman_stoning-2.pdf] ] , when the book was written stoning was more widespread. The books tells the true story of one of the victims of those stonings in modern Iran. Soraya M.'s husband Ghorban-Ali, was an ambitious man, tone to rage with a lust for power. He wanted out of his marriage. When Soraya began cooking for the widowed husband of a friend, he found his exuse. Abetted by village authorities and aided by Islamic law, he accused his wife of adultery. She was taken away, buried up to her shoulders and neck in the ground, and then stoned to death.

The son of a former Iranian ambassador, French journalist and war correspondent, Freidoune Sahebjam was the first to report on the crimes of the Islamic Republic against the Baha’ii community in Iran. Because of its highly critical attitude toward the Islamic system, "The Stoning of Soraya M" was banned in Iran [ [http://news.myway.com/odd/article/id/401533%7Coddlyenough%7C05-05-2004::09:27%7Creuters.html] ] .

References

External links

*imdb title|id=1277737|title=The Stoning of Soraya M.
* [http://www.thestoning.com/ Official Website for "The Stoning of Soraya M."]
* [http://www.dcexaminer.com/opinion/columns/guestcolumnists/Iranian_Justice_The_stoning_of_Soraya_M.html DC Examiner Review of "Stoning"]
* [http://www.indiewire.com/people/2008/09/toronto_08_disc_1.html Toronto Film Festival Interview with "Stoning" Director Cyrus Nowrasteh]