As part of the University of Wisconsin’s 50th Annual Travel Adventure Film Series Monday night, the director of the featured film “Iran” narrated the debut showing in an effort to break through the stereotypical beliefs about the nation the media portrays.
The director of the film, Buddy Hatton, cited Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad as his primary reason for traveling to Iran to make the film in the first place.
Hatton said he decided to embark on the film after Ahmadinejad made a public speech proclaiming his invitation to all “ignorant” Americans to travel to Iran and learn of its history in person.
“It’s a fascinating history,” Hatton said.
During most of the presentation, Hatton narrated the film’s journey through cities such as Tehran, Qom and Bandar.
One of the facets of Iranian culture Hatton focused on was the persistent separation of sexes throughout the country.
Women remain inferior to men in Iran’s male-dominated society, Hatton said. Women were not granted the right to vote until 1963 and are still separated from men in schools, mosques and other miscellaneous events.
During his 53-day stay in Iran, he learned that, in court, a woman’s testimony is worth half of a man’s. Women are also not allowed to divorce men, although they can be granted divorces after valid reasoning and can also receive payment from the divorced husband for every year of marriage.
Another observation Hatton addressed was his encounter with Iranians who had mixed feelings about the United States. During Hatton’s visit to Qom, he learned of the extreme hatred its people had for America.
“An American visiting Qom is like a member of Al-Qaeda visiting the White House,” Hatton said.
Hatton referenced several encounters with unhappy citizens during his first few minutes in the city, saying he was unwelcome and felt pressured to leave.
“This is kind of what I expected from what I have read in books about Iran,” UW alum Mark Cecil said.
Hatton also pointed out the stereotypical idea that Iran is the world’s largest bearer of oil. According to Hatton, Iranian citizens are allotted 100 gallons of gasoline a month at a rate of 30 cents a gallon. If a citizen happens to eclipse his or her ration of gasoline for the month, they are then charged $3 per gallon for every gallon over the prescribed limit.
“In essence, they are telling their people to conserve and not waste by penalizing them if they need more than what seems reasonable,” Madison resident Lynne David said.
According to Hatton, Iran has an extreme traffic problem in many of its larger cities. Hatton said Iran is accountable for 27,000 automobile deaths per year, which is the world’s highest rate.
“I grew up in the San Francisco area and it’s hard to believe it could be much worse than that,” Madison resident Doug David said.
Buddy Hatton is a member of the Travel Adventure Cinema Society and has won two Percy awards as Canada’s Television “Male Entertainer of the Year.”
