Iranian director Soheil Beiraghi almost landed in prison for his latest film, Bidad. Now it's landed him the Special Jury Award at the 59th Karlovy Vary International Film Festival in the Czech Republic.
Bidad, which is also known by its English title, Outcry, won the price over the weekend at the festival, sometimes dubbed as Central Europes largest cinema party.
The story focuses on a young girl who sings in the street despite a banned on such displays in Iran. The women in the movie do not wear the mandatory hijab, or head scarf, further flaunting the country's strict rules on how women can dress in public.
The subject matter is so taboo that Beiraghi shot the film independently to avoid censors.
