3 Days to Liberation II

Available here: COMBI PASS SATURDAY AT GRÜNER SALON: €13 / reduced €10 / valid for both events on Saturday, 13 December: Women Who Said No (film) at 2:30 p.m. and Against Violence (panel) at 4:00 p.m.

Part of the program
3 DAYS TO LIBERATION II
(Statement and program)
12–14 December 2025
Conceived & curated by Maryam Palizban
Presented by CONSTANZA MACRAS / DORKY PARK

Women Who Said No s a film about courage, faith, and the power of not giving in. Ten Bahá’í women from Shiraz, were executed in 1983 after months of being interrogated and tortured in the wake of the Islamic Revolution, because they refused to renounce their faith in the Bahá’í religion in spite of unbearable pressure – they said ‘No’. The film opens up a space for remembrance and testimony, in which every voice, every image, and every single moment is a strong presence. The stories of these women form part of a larger historical narrative, as so many people had been and continue to be murdered because of their faith or political beliefs. The names and faces of these women are still there; visible, although for many years they have only been looked at and remembered in silence. Women Who Said No is part of 3 Days to Liberation because it illustrates how individual bodies and lives are connected through time and history. Every single life, every death, especially in our times, is not just a number, but a complex story to be told and kept alive in the face of justice.

Sepehr Atefi is a documentary filmmaker and journalist, who was born in Iran in 1989 and now lives in Germany. Having been excluded from higher education in Iran due to his membership in the Bahá’í community, he left the country and came to Germany as a political refugee in 2010. He completed a master’s degree in media arts at the Bauhaus University in Weimar. His films draw on personal and historical perspectives to explore themes such as memory, faith, and social justice. His works include Among Us (2021) about Afghans and Afghan-Iranians in Iran, and Eternal Flame (2023) on the life and murder of democracy activist Parvaneh Forouhar. The film was screened during the first 3 Days to Liberation festival in the presence of Parvaneh’s daughter, Parastou Forouhar.

The director wlll be present during the screening and participate in the panel following the screening.

Farsi | English surtitles