‘I wasn’t always dressed like this’, documentary by Betty Martins

28 Oct, 2013

“I wasn’t always dressed like this” is a personal narrative based documentary with a poetic approach, featuring three Muslim women from different background living in the UK. The film focuses on the act of wearing the veil as an inward process, giving the veil a critical and intimate perspective.

Muslim women who are choosing to wear any form of veil (hijab, niqab) are part of a growing phenomenon. The implications of wearing a veil vary from nation to nation and culture to culture. Migrations and historical events, for example, bring to surface powerful and transformative agencies, which can mediate the meanings of cultural aspects. This documentary seeks to find some of those agencies through their personal experiences, which are responsible for determining what the veil is for them and what it is to be a veiled woman.

The documentary is being presented in several Universities and Cultural Centers of the United Kingdom, all exhibitions are followed by discussions sessions with the director and producer Betty Martins and special guests. Next screening in the UK will be on the 25^th of January in the Birmingham Museum with the presence of two invited researchers from the University of Birmingham. At the moment, we are organizing screenings in other countries such as Brazil, Chile and Canada.

The documentary was directed and produced by Betty Martins from D-AEP.org.