DARK ORANGE by Zahra Azadpour | Iran | 2024 

Duration: 00:06:00

A woman trapped in an emotionally one‑sided relationship confronts the hidden violence of neglect, forcing her to face the painful truth behind her partner’s self‑proclaimed feminism.

DIRECTOR, EDITOR, ANIMATOR : Zahra Azadpour
COMPOSER : Payam Azadi
PRODUCER : Reza Mousavi
CAST : Hadi Azadpour 

CONTACTS / LINKS : Dark Orange (IMDB)  Zahra Azadpour (interview)  FFTG Awards   @Azadpourz 

A young couple appears to live quietly together, yet their relationship is deeply unbalanced. The woman longs for emotional connection, while her partner dismisses her feelings and reduces their bond to physicality. As she confronts the weight of neglect, she realizes the painful contradiction between his public advocacy for women’s rights and the private harm he inflicts. Dark Orange exposes the subtle, often unseen violence within intimate relationships.

Director’s statement
This film was born from a deep conviction that violence against women must be understood beyond the visible scars. Too often, the conversation is reduced to images of bruised faces and physical harm. While such suffering is undeniably real and devastating, I felt compelled to ask a more difficult question: what about the wounds that leave no mark—the injuries to the spirit, the erosion of dignity, the quiet collapse of the self?

This question became the driving force behind Dark Orange. Despite limited resources, a modest budget, and many obstacles, I felt an urgency to bring this story to life. I wanted to illuminate the hidden dimensions of violence—the emotional neglect, the silencing, the subtle forms of domination that cut deeper and linger far longer than any visible bruise.

Through this film, I hope to create a space for reflection, to invite viewers to look beyond the surface and recognize the silent struggles many women endure. If Dark Orange touches even one heart or sparks a moment of awareness, then the film has fulfilled its purpose.

Bio
Zahra Azadpour is an independent filmmaker, writer, and animation artist from Iran, whose work explores the intersection of visual storytelling, philosophy, and social reality. With a background in both narrative construction and reflective inquiry, her films often delve into the emotional and psychological dimensions of human experience—particularly the unseen forms of violence, silence, and resilience. 

Working under restrictive conditions and with limited resources, she has developed a distinct artistic voice shaped by minimalism, symbolism, and hand‑crafted techniques such as rotoscoping. Her approach blends poetic imagery with sharp social critique, creating films that are both intimate and politically resonant. 

Dark Orange continues her exploration of themes related to women’s inner lives, emotional neglect, and the contradictions embedded within modern social narratives. Her work has been recognized by international festivals and continues to grow as part of a broader artistic mission: to give form to the stories that are often overlooked, unheard, or hidden beneath the surface.

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