Rakhshan Banietemad’s Art of Social Realism: Bridging Realism and Fiction

Abstract

This chapter offers a survey of her documentary works in search of a unique social realist approach to filmmaking. The chapter argues that, although Banietemad’s auteurship might be evident in her films through their recurring links and themes, it is in her self-reflexive documentaries that we really see her artistic and critical approach to telling stories about ordinary people in society.