Iranian stuntwomen breaking gender norms with daring feats

TEHERAN: As evening falls at a Teheran skatepark, a woman calmly steps forward with her body ablaze, performing a daring stunt that challenges convention in front of an impressed Iranian audience.

Behind her, young women practise backward flips into a pit filled with foam, following the instructions of Nasrin Teymouri.

In her thirties, she leads Iran's sole all-female stunt crew, a vital area of filmmaking traditionally controlled by men, but where Iranian women are increasingly establishing themselves.

"Until just a few years ago, men used to dress up as women to perform stunts in place of actresses," said Teymouri with a smile, as she received AFP at a training session for the "Stunt Powerful" team in southern Teheran.

On graffiti-decorated ramps, a young girl wearing roller skates practises a few moves, while a young man gets ready to perform a stunt on his BMX bicycle.

The setting is unusual for this relatively traditional neighbourhood of the Iranian capital.

A huge Islamic republic flag flutters in the distance, while the golden dome of a nearby mosque can be seen from the skatepark.

The site, dedicated to extreme sports and named "Navid Park" after its founder, opened a year ago.

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"Even prominent directors would bluntly tell us we couldn't be stunt performers simply because we were women," recalled Teymouri, who now appears in successful Iranian productions and trains male stunt performers, reflecting changing views in Iran.

"Eventually, they placed their trust in us" on film sets, she said.

"Because they saw our work, accepted it and liked it," added Teymouri, who earns a living teaching gymnastics.

"In the past, our presence on set used to unsettle them."

- 'Afraid of everything' -

Teymouri has inspired others, including Mahisa Babayi-Parsa, a nine-year-old who insisted she was not "afraid at all" when carrying out stunts.

"I've been set on fire twice. I've jumped from heights, tumbled down stairs, and even been ejected from a car," she beamed.

The stunt crew, a tight-knit team of women and men, gathers for practice several times each month.

During rehearsals in which a woman is engulfed in flames, colleagues remain on standby with a fire extinguisher and a wet blanket, ready to intervene.

When a man prepares to be set alight for a bicycle stunt, women supervise the process, challenging established norms.

Mixed-gender participation remains banned in many sports in Iran, where men and women are not even permitted to visit the same gym.

"I'm someone who gets scared very easily: I'm afraid of heights and speed.

I'm afraid of everything," Teymouri said.

"But facing my fear gives me immense pleasure every time" and "that's what drove me to survive in this profession," she added, sporting sunglasses and a cap worn backwards. — AFP