Without Permission goes beyond being a mere ‘film about filmmaking’—it stands as powerful proof that cinema remains the final language capable of questioning and resisting. An exiled Iranian director returns to his homeland to work on a new film, only to be denied permission to shoot by the authorities. Undeterred, he resolves to document the voices of the next generation living in a society where compulsory hijab and censorship are part of everyday life. In the ruins at the edge of a desert, he gathers boys and girls who dream of becoming actors and begins conducting camera tests. With simple questions—“Why do you want to be actors?”, “What is love?”, “Have you ever imagined freedom?”—he gently taps into the depths of their inner worlds. The children in front of the camera, whether shy or outgoing, bear familiar faces one might encounter anywhere. But the reality they inhabit is far from ideal; strict social codes prohibit handshakes between men and women, restrict singing and dancing in public, and subtle tensions emerge between Afghan immigrants and local residents. The arid landscape only sharpens these layers of control, while the children’s innocent answers pierce directly into the theme of ‘self-expression within a system of control.’ Now living in the UK, director Hassan Nazer reaffirms through Without Permission the vital role of cinema as a language of resistance and liberation. The questions he raises continue to echo long after the film ends, leaving a lasting resonance in the hearts of its viewers.
