KALLING کالینگ - In Conversation with Mozhgan Pazooki

In Conversation with Mozhgan Pazooki, Iranian documentary filmmaker

Screening Kalling (کالینگ) documentary film (23 min) with English subtitles followed by In Conversation with director Mozhgan Pazooki, moderated by Sue Maslin AO.

Date: Sunday, 9 November, 2025

Time: 3:30 PM - 5:00PM

Venue: Cinema Nova, Carlton

Tickets: General $15, Concession $10

A documentary about the traditional pearl diving industry in Iran and its exploitation of native free divers. In Kish Island, Iran, locals call pearl oysters ‘Kalling’. Directed by an Iranian woman under very restricted conditions and within the framework of Islamic regulations - the first underwater documentary made by an Iranian woman wearing full hijab. For further information, please contact sue@filmartmedia.com

Parking vouchers can be requested at Cinema Nova Ticket Office. Please note that seatings are not allocated.

About Director - Mozhgan Pazooki

Mozhgan Pazooki is an award-winning Iranian documentary filmmaker, writer, and researcher with over 32 years of experience. With academic training in law, microbiology, and documentary filmmaking, she began her career in the scientific department of Iran’s broadcaster, where she produced three radio series and three television documentary series on science and education, including over 35 interview-based documentaries featuring renowned Iranian scientists and artists—viewed by millions. She was twice voted Best TV Documentary Director by public poll for her acclaimed series Mafakhere Iran Emrooz(“Distinguished Figures of Contemporary Iran”). From 1994 to 2019, she worked independently on Kish Island, producing cultural and environmental films—including Kalling, one of the first underwater documentaries by an Iranian woman in full hijab. The film was widely broadcast, screened at festivals, and also her 2015 documentary Farourgan Island was featured at the UN Climate Change Conference (COP21) in Paris. Since 2019, and now based in Melbourne, Australia, Mozhgan has continued to create documentary films, testimonials, and research-driven projects exploring identity and migration. During Melbourne’s lockdowns, she pioneered remote productions with online documentaries such as Connecting Conversations for AMES Victoria, which premiered in 2021 at Melbourne’s Multicultural Hub.