Director Ali Asgari’s film about women in strict societies who fight for their right to have children unconventionally
Director Ali Asgari doesn’t want to debate conception or child-rearing in “The Baby” (or “Bacheh”). The director’s short film, one of the dozen award-winning finalists competing in TheWrap’s ShortList Fest, is about the tension that a mother who has a baby out of wedlock must contend with when living in a strict society.
Asgari doesn’t want viewers to concern themselves with how his protagonist became pregnant or who the father is.
In “The Baby,” Narges and her friend have only a few hours to find a temporary home for Narges’ baby before her parents arrive to visit her. The task proves difficult because people in her conservative community don’t want to help someone they consider a pariah: a single mother.
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Asgari’s film isn’t mirrored after anyone in particular, but takes inspiration from life in Iran.
“I had this image of two girls with one baby,” he told TheWrap. “One day, I was talking to one of my friends in Iran, and she told me how much she’d like to have a baby, but she cannot because she has a very traditional family and she doesn’t [want] to marry.”
Asgari says his intention is not to promote single mothers or to condemn them, but to illustrate generational tension between Iranian youth and older people.
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“We live in a very traditional and sometimes religious country, but we have a very moderate and very non-religious young generation,” he said. “There’s always a heavy and hard [competition] between this young generation and older generation. They want to beat tradition.”
Watch the film above. Viewers can also screen the films at any time during the festival at Shortlistfilmfestival.com and vote from Aug. 4-18.
TheWrap's 2014 ShortList Film Fest Rocks YouTube Space LA (Photos)
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Producers Ron Yerxa, director Rory Kennedy, producer David T. Friendly, and UTA agent Hailey Wierengo at the 2014 ShortList Film Fest
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Winning directors Pablo Orta ("Not It") and Walter Woodman ("Noah") stand with TheWrap's CEO and Editor-in-Chief
Getty Images"Charmed" star Rose McGowan congratulates audience prize winner Pablo Orta
Getty Images"Awkward" star Monty Geer speaks on the 2014 ShortList Film Fest
Getty ImagesProducer Ron Yerxa shares his thoughts from the 2014 ShortList Film Fest's panel
Getty ImagesYouTube Space LA hosted the ShortList Fest
Getty Images"Noah" co-director Walter Woodman won the jury award at 2014 ShortList Film Fest
Getty ImagesTheWrap's Executive Editor Joseph Kapsch and CEO & Editor-in-Chief at the 2014 ShortList Film Fest
Getty Images"Noah" (2013), directed by Walter Woodman and Patrick Cederberg, won the jurist prize at the 2014 ShortList Film Fest
KoalaMotion"Scream" star Rose McGowan watches the panelists present at TheWrap's 2014 ShortList Film Fest
Getty ImagesShortList Film Fest panelist Robert Kesse (Participant Media) has advice for aspiring filmmakers
Getty ImagesTheWrap's Editor-in-Chief Sharon Waxman takes the stage at the 2014 ShortList Film Fest
TheWrapProducers Ron Yerxa, director Rory Kennedy, producer David T. Friendly, and UTA agent Hailey Wierengo on the red carpet at the 2014 ShortList Film Fest
Getty Images"Jawbreaker" star Rose McGowan on the red carpet at the 2014 ShortList Film Fest
Getty ImagesTheWrap's Executive Editor Joseph Kapsch
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Producer Ron Yerxa at the 2014 ShortList Film Fest
Getty ImagesThe audience screens "Not It" at the 2014 ShortList Film Fest
Getty Images"Not It" director Pablo Orta poses with his audience prize at the 2014 ShortList Film Fest
Getty Images"Not It" (2014), directed by Pablo Orta, won the audience prize at the 2014 ShortList Film Fest
La Cooperativa AudiovisualTheWrap's ShortList Film Fest at YouTube Space LA
Getty ImagesShortList Film Fest attendee celebrates with Freixenet at TheWrap's 2014 ShortList Film Fest
Getty ImagesMat Kirkby, the director of "The Phone Call," attends the 2014 ShortList Film Fest
Getty Images"The Phone Call" (2013), directed by Mat Kirkby
RSA FilmsThe audience watches the presentation from the panel of experts at the 2014 ShortList Film Fest
Getty ImagesTheWrap's CEO & Editor-in-Chief Sharon Waxman with winning director Pablo Orta and the ShortList's Director of Programming Nancy Collet
Getty ImagesTheWrap's ShortList Film Fest at YouTube Space LA
Getty Images"Verbatim" director Brett Weiner at the 2014 ShortList Film Fest
Getty Images"Verbatim" (2014), directed by Brett Weiner
VerbatimParticipant Media's Robert Kessel attends the 2014 ShortList Film Fest
Getty ImagesCEO & Editor-in-Chief Sharon Waxman with The Wrap's VP, Entertainment Sales Caren Gibbens and Nicole Winters, Director of Sales
Getty ImagesTheWrap's ShortList Film Fest at YouTube Space LA
Getty Images"Me + Her" director Joseph Oxford at the 2014 ShortList Film Fest
Getty Images"Me + Her" (2014), directed by Joseph Oxford
Island Creek PicturesAttendees enjoyed cocktails courtesy of Bombay Sapphire
Getty Images"Awkward" star Monty Geer on the 2014 ShortList Film Fest's red carpet
Getty ImagesYouTube's Derek Callow and "Not It" director Pablo Orta
Getty ImagesTheWrap's ShortList Film Fest at YouTube Space LA
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“Noah” director Walter Woodman and “Not It” director Pablo Orta were presented the jury and audience awards by speaker Rose McGowan at TheWrap’s 3rd Annual ShortList Film Festival
Producers Ron Yerxa, director Rory Kennedy, producer David T. Friendly, and UTA agent Hailey Wierengo at the 2014 ShortList Film Fest