In her debut film about the bitter fate of Iranian women in the countryside, California-trained director Maryam Shahriar takes a brave look at a controversial subject. Financial destitution forces a father to shave his daughter’s head and send her away, disguised as a young man, to work at a small carpet factory. Far from home, the lonely protagonist endures the cruel behavior of her boss and the romantic attentions of a female coworker. Notable for its transgression of strictures on bare-headedness and cross-dressing for women, Daughters of the Sun successfully creates the stark milieu of rural economic conditions. Shahriar’s sensitive direction won her the best first film award at the 2000 Montreal Film Festival.