THE STONING OF SORAYA M.
THE STONING OF SORAYA M.
ABOUT THE FILM
In a world of secrecy, corruption and injustice, a single courageous voice can tell a true story that changes everything.
This is what lies at the heart of the emotionally charged experience of THE STONING OF SORAYA M. Based on an incredible true story, this powerful tale of a village’s persecution of an innocent woman becomes both a daring act of witness and a compelling parable about mob rule. Who will join forces with the plot against her, who will surrender to the mob, and who will dare to stand up for what’s right. It is both a classic fable of good and evil and an inspiring tribute to the many fighting against injustice around the world, THE STONING OF SORAYA M. was a rousing runner-up to SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE as the Audience Favorite at the Toronto Film Festival.
Academy Award® nominee Shohreh Aghdashloo (HOUSE OF SAND AND FOG) stars in the heroic role of Zahra, an Iranian woman with a burning secret. When a journalist (Jim Caviezel, THE PASSION OF THE CHRIST, DÉJÀ VU) is stranded in her remote village, she takes a bold chance to reveal what the villagers will stop at nothing to keep hidden.
Thus begins the remarkable account of what happened to Soraya (Mozhan Marnò), a kind, spirited woman whose bad marriage leads her cruel, divorce-seeking husband to conspire against her, trumping up charges of infidelity, which carry an unimaginable penalty. Moving through a minefield of scheming, lies and deceit, Soraya and Zahra will attempt to prove Soraya’s innocence in a legal system stacked against her. But when all else fails, Zahra will risk everything to use the sole weapon she has left – the fearless, passionate voice that can share Soraya’s story with a shocked world.
THE STONING OF SORAYA M. is inspired by Paris-based journalist Freidoune Sahebjam’s acclaimed international best-seller of the same name which, rife with intrigue and moral outrage, first brought global attention to the real Soraya, who in 1986 was buried to her waist in her hometown square and stoned by her fellow villagers.
Director Cyrus Nowrasteh, along with his wife and fellow screenwriter Betsy Giffen Nowrasteh, saw in Soraya one story that stands for thousands of untold tales around the world, from Africa to Asia, from Europe to America, wherever people are battling prejudice and injustice. Their screenplay takes the hard facts surrounding Soraya’s fate and carves from them a lyrical, fable-like entertainment that gets under the skin by posing a provocative question: who among us would throw stones and who would take a stand against them?
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