The First Iranian Woman to Direct an Underwater Film While Wearing a Headscarf, Under Mandatory Hijab Restrictions

Kalling (1996–1998)

In 1995, Mozhgan Pazooki met Abdulrahman Rahmani on Kish Island — a native fisherman and skilled free diver who had been collecting pearl oysters, known locally as kalling, since his youth. Like many other divers in the region, he worked under exploitative conditions, receiving no wages and only basic food supplies.

Following their first conversation, Pazooki began visiting him in her spare time to document his work and conduct interviews. She became increasingly interested in the deeper structure of the profession: a rigid hierarchy on the boats, the lack of pay, and a culture of absolute obedience. While the physical aspects of free diving were visually striking, it was the social and economic system behind the practice that shaped the direction of her film.

Realizing the story needed to be told both above and below the surface, she planned and directed underwater sequences herself. However, due to mandatory hijab regulations in Iran, she was required to wear a headscarf even while scuba diving. Despite the physical difficulty of diving in full gear and a headscarf, she proceeded with the production and completed the film.

Kalling featured multiple interviews that explored the hidden networks controlling the pearl trade, sometimes referred to locally as a “pearl mafia.” The film received several awards, including Best Documentary at the Iranian Women Documentary Filmmakers Festival (in memory of Forough Farrokhzad) and the Parvin E’tesami International Film Festival. It was also broadcast multiple times on Iranian national television.

During the final underwater shoots in the summer of 1998, French photojournalist Kazem Bayrambakhsh, working for Sipa Press, joined the production. He found the subject matter and the image of a female director diving in a headscarf highly unusual. After initial discussions, he photographed Pazooki underwater, with the agreement that she would receive copies of the images. Years later, he sent her one of the photographs published in a French magazine and later provided additional shots.

Through a colleague in the media, Pazooki later learned that she may have been the first Iranian woman to direct an underwater film. To date, it remains unclear whether any other Iranian woman has undertaken a similar project since.