In Iran, producers and directors risk being jailed for films that defy the regime, but film-makers attending the Persian Film Festival in Sydney are determined to get their message out.
One film, 'I am Nasrine', is shot in modern day Tehran. It is a story about love and life from previously unheard voices.
British-Iranian writer and director, Tina Gharvani, filmed in secret during the failed Green revolution of 2009, to depict the modern refugee experience.
"I made this film to be able to see my own experiences in cinema. I mean, that was what was missing ... was my story. And for the diaspora I think that is tough," she told SBS.
Her film, which also tackles homosexuality and rape, has been banned in Iran.
But in Sydney, Gharvani's film and 14 others are being showcased at the Persian Film Festival held this week.
For many, the term Persian is usually associated with visions of veiled women. But the complexities of the Persian culture are often overlooked.
The Festival's founders say that they want to challenge stereotypes using cinema.
"The films that we are presenting are all dealing with human issues. And human issues have no cultural, or linguistic or racial barriers," Festival co-founder Sanaz Fotouhi says.
"A lot of films that are coming out recently don't necessarily have an ending ... they are not as black or white. So it's sort of focusing on those grey areas," says Amin Palangi, another festival co-founder.
One film expected to win an Oscar is Asghar Farhadi's Iranian film 'A Separation'.
Already the winner of a Golden Globe, it takes a realistic look at a couple divided by religion and class.
Farhadi's film 'A Separation' is expected to find an audience in Australia.
"We have seen a lot of film makers arrested, tried, jailed and sentenced," Michelle Langford, a film academic, says.
But for those who leave Iran, that sacrifice is almost as wearing.
"I am also sad of course that because I realise that it may be a long time before I get to go home," Ms Gharvani says.
The festival ends on Sunday February 26.
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