Ed Hayes graduated in Arabic and Persian from Oxford University and directed a Britten opera soon after. His loves include cinema, from Iran and elsewhere, theatre and capoiera. He has lived in Syria and Sri Lanka and has travelled extensively in Iran and Yemen. He is an Editorial Intern at openDemocracy.

Recent articles

‘Jihad’ has become one of the most inflamed and misunderstood words in the political lexicon. How did this happen, and what is the true meaning both of the word and its abuse? A student of Islam tracks the long journey from Islamic theology to global politics, registers what has been lost and found along the way – and asks what can be done to restore truth to language and reason to thought.

Ten: the latest film of Abbas Kiarostami tells stories of love, pain, divorce, womanhood and everyday humanity through conversations between a Tehrani woman and the passengers she picks up in her car. In London, openDemocracy’s Farsi-speaking intern talked to Iran’s leading film director and Ten’s actress Mania Akbari.

The world is rediscovering Iran through the country’s compassionate, socially truthful cinema. Two recent films by lesser-known directors feature characters on the margin of existence who seek meaning through a different kind of journey.