This documentary takes a brief look at Hayedeh Shirzadi and her husband’s shared life, love and work and their attempt to put an end to the dumping and burial of urban garbage. Due to their hard work and ingenuity, 100% of the city of Kermanshah’s garbage is now recycled and the biowaste is made into organic fertilizers.

Shirzadi studied recycling in Germany. She returned to Iran in order to clean up the environment, to stop the destruction of arable land, and to curb air and water pollution. Her first attempts were ignored but she kept at the local government until she was successful in getting the job of waste manager, first in her birthplace Gilane Gharb and then in Kermanshah. She also traveled around Iran and helped establish a recycling center in many cities. Today Kermanshah’s waste is all recycled and converted into useful products.

She is an energetic leader and the fate of the earth is her main concern. Shirzadi has recently launched a site for recycling construction rubble.

The Karestan Documentary Series features stories about Iranian entrepreneurs of both genders who have taken personal risks, and through their creativity and innovative approach, became an instrument of change in their own as well as the lives of others. Their impact, even if confined to a small scale or limited to a geographical area, has inspired big change and progress.

Shirin Parsi is a rice farmer, but not an ordinary one! After receiving a BA in French literature from the University of Paris, she returned to Iran but decided not to live in the megapolis capital, Tehran. Since her husband had inherited some land in Shanderman, a village near the Caspian Sea, they decided to relocate there and take up rice farming. The Parsi family, including their two sons, instituted innovations in rice production, promoted sustainable farming and have always refrained from using chemical pesticides and fertilizers. In a region where more and more farmers are selling their farms at very cheap prices to developers, the Parsis are busy cultivating pure organic rice. Shirin and her family have chosen an exemplary lifestyle which is rich in indigenous values. In addition to rice farming, Shirin spends time as a social activist and volunteers with several local NGOs. She is especially active in women’s groups where she focuses on raising awareness. This film follows Shirin preparing the rice paddies until the rice harvest, as well as showing her social activities, as she attempts to bring about social and environmental change.

The Karestan Documentary Series features stories about Iranian entrepreneurs of both genders who have taken personal risks, and through their creativity and innovative approach, became an instrument of change in their own as well as the lives of others. Their impact, even if confined to a small scale or limited to a geographical area, has inspired big change and progress.

Environment and environmental activities have become a popular topic in recent years in Iran. From the Orumiyeh lake to Zayanderoud to dust storms, there are many reasons and reminders to be more active about the environment in Iran. The role of women in Iran has been a topic of interest more than before in recent years. There’s one woman who has been active in this area longer than any of us.

Rakhshan Banietemad says: “Apart from Mahlagha Mallah’s role in the history of environmental activities, her exemplary vigor as a woman nearly a century old who continues to bear her social responsibility, is a worthy symbol for The Iranian woman’s participation in the realm of the civil society.”

Mahlagha Mallah is Iran’s eldest environmental activist and the founder of the first environmental NGO in Iran. Spending a few days in her home and accompanying her in environmental gatherings and activities is an excuse to portray the critical state of the environment in Iran.

Rakhshan Banietemad is an internationally and critically acclaimed Iranian film director and screenwriter. She is widely considered as a premier female director, and her films have been praised at international festivals as well as being remarkably popular with Iranian critics and audiences. Her title as “First Lady of Iranian Cinema” is not only a reference to her prominence as a filmmaker, but it also connotes her social role of merging politics and family in her work