TEHRAN — On the left side of the frame stands a lonely man, clad in black. The scene is most probably a park, somewhere in the Iranian capital Tehran. Soon he is joined by a group of five men and ten women. At the center is a famous actress. No music, no props, no words. The black-clad crew stares boldly at the camera until the clip fades off in what looks like a curtain call at the end of a play. 

“The show is over and the truth will be revealed,” wrote director Hamid Pourazari and actress Soheila Golestani as they shared their video on their Instagram accounts. Another part of the caption read “unnamed people are our true heroes,” an apparent reference to the lives claimed in the nationwide protests across Iran since September 16, when 22-year-old Mahsa Amini died in “morality police” custody for allegedly wearing her hijab “improperly.” 

During the more than two months of unrest in Iran, several female artists have posted solo photos and videos of themselves in defiance of the strict hijab mandate and in solidarity with the ongoing protests. The Pourazari-Golestani performance was the first to feature a group of artists without headscarves.  

Mandatory hijab was passed into law five years after the 1979 Islamic Revolution in Iran, although it had taken effect well ahead of its official ratification. All women are legally obliged to wear loose long clothes and cover their hair in public, including in movies, theatres and sports.