Keswick Film Festival

Synopsis

Imagine if Harry Kane had been forced to miss the world cup because his wife would not let him go. Based on a true story, this is what happened to Afrooz in Iran, when her passport was refused because her husband had not given his permission.

"Beyond her love of the game itself and her commitment to her country's success, Afrooz's identity is at stake. She has played for 11 years and been married for just six; why is being a wife then assumed to define her? A film that urges its audience to do more than just feel sad and sign a couple of petitions, 'Permission' brims with an anger that goes beyond that of Afrooz. It's less interested in tragedy than in making demands, less in pity than in emphasising how much potential is squandered when women are treated in this way. It's full of hunger for justice" - Jennie Kermode, Eye for Film.