The film explores the contemporary Tehran and it's underground art scene, focusing on the life of a young actress who has been banned from theater work. Struggling to pursue her passion in art as well as her secret lifestyle in a socially oppressed environment, Marzieh gets involved in some subsequent and unexpected events leading her to a dilemma regarding her survival and identity.
Plot
Marzieh is a young female actress living in Tehran. The authorities have banned her, like many other young actors, from doing theater work, forcing her to lead a secret life in order to express herself artistically. At an underground rave, she meets Saman, who was born in Iran but has become an Australian citizen. Saman offers her a way out of Iran and shows Marzieh the possibility of living without fear.[1]
Reception
My Tehran for Sale has been compared with Cristian Mungiu's film 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days by Iranian critic and film scholar Parviz Jahed.[2]
Controversy surrounded the film when unauthorized copies of the film were circulated in Tehran. In July 2011, Iranian authorities arrested Vafamehr, reportedly for acting in the film without proper Islamic hijab and with a shaved head. She was sentenced to one year in prison and 90 lashes, however due to international pressure and various campaigns, an appeals court later reduced her sentence to only three months imprisonment. She was released in October 2011.[5]
