TEHRAN – Iranian films “Woodgirls - A Duet for a Dream” and “Water, Wind, Dust & Bread” are competing in the Doc Edge Festival in New Zealand.

Directed by Azadeh Bizargiti, “Woodgirls” tells the unique story of Leila Avakh and Sediqeh Momennia, as they follow their dream of opening a carpentry workshop run by women for women.

With much love and passion, Leila and Sediqeh have chosen a profession that is considered extremely masculine in the traditional societies of West Asia. They are some of Iran’s first female carpenters. Licenses and formal training in such trades are unavailable for women.

Despite the obstacles and difficulties they face, they are determined to prove themselves. They refuse to let go of their dreams.

Armed with self-taught skills, guts and deep determination, Leila and Sediqeh bravely face the obstacles to fight for what they believe in.

“Water, Wind, Dust, Bread” follows 11-year-old Abolfazl who lives with his family in an oasis in the Iranian desert. He picks dates, tends to his family’s cows, does his homework, and has fun with his best friend Setayesh.

Director Mehdi Zamanpur Kiasari’s camera quietly observes their friendship as they swing between the date palms or climb the windswept rocks around the oasis. Abolfazl’s mother bakes fresh bread, and tourists come to her guesthouse for the serene atmosphere.

But life in the oasis is not entirely idyllic. Although Abolfazl lives with a physical disability, it is Setayesh who faces an even bigger hurdle. She is one of the 40,000 children in Iran who don’t have a birth certificate, and as a result, she can’t go to school.

As an Oscar-qualifying international documentary festival, the Doc Edge Festival opened its online edition on June 1 and will run until July 10.

113 films, including 74 features and 39 shorts are competing in the festival, whose in-person editions will take place from June 15 to 26 in Auckland and Christchurch. The festival will also be held in Wellington from June 30 to July 10.

Photo: A scene from “Woodgirls - A Duet for a Dream” by Azadeh Bizargiti.

MMS/YAW