NPR untangles the mystery of Shirin Neshat and her new film, Women without Men:
Most recently, Neshat has embraced cinema as a way to reach out to popular culture — a public that might not go to see her work in a gallery or museum. Her directorial debut, Women Without Men, retains the characteristic of her still photography: It shows Iranian women as strong despite oppression.
Refusing to limit herself to a particular medium, Neshat has mastered photography, video and, most recently, filmmaking to tackle the issue of gender inequality in the Islamic world, and the identity struggle that results from exile.
Shirin Neshat: A Simple Title for a Complex Book (NPR)