The sports documentary "Free Riding Iran" will be shown free of charge.

Almost three years after the premiere of "Free Riding Iran", the film is now available free of charge. The initiators Anita and Carolin Gehrig draw a very positive conclusion: the film was a complete success and won prizes at various film festivals. More importantly, however, it has touched and inspired many people.

"Free Riding Iran" and the project behind the film

A glimpse behind the curtain: while the West is mainly familiar with Iranian customs and war rhetoric, enduro pros Anita and Caro Gehrig experience open-minded people, hospitality, great interest in the West and, last but not least, an unconditional passion for mountain biking. And there is a reason for this: the bike is the vehicle to freedom, because there are no moral guardians lurking on the trails. Biking is forbidden for Iranian women, but there is resistance; Faranak Parto Azar is leading the way.

The Iranian cross-country rider is traveling a rocky road, but in her fight for equal rights, she confidently sticks to her line. Freeride, or rather free ride, thus takes on another dimension in the land of the mullahs. Even if you can hardly communicate with words, you can understand each other on a bike. "Free Riding Iran" is a film about courage, passion and mutual inspiration on two wheels.

Free of charge for a good cause

The film had to be paid for since its premiere at the 2018 World Championships in Lenzerheide. This phase has now been completed and the film "Free Riding Iran" is now available for free on Vimeo. CHF 2,000 of the film revenue generated by video-on-demand during this time will now be donated to promote women's cycling in Iran. As a trailblazer, Parto Azar will personally take care of this.

The donation is a small but nice side effect of this comprehensive film project, which has triggered much more in all those involved: "The experiences we were able to have with the production of "Free Riding Iran" are priceless. The road trip in Iran enriched me personally and opened my eyes in many ways. The wonderful encounters with local mountain bikers and the great hospitality we were able to experience will always stay with me," recaps Anita.

Carolin raves about another experience: "The biggest highlight for me is not the numerous prizes we won with the film. It's Faranak's participation in the Cross-Country World Championships in Lenzerheide. The atmosphere and positive reactions to her participation and the way she got there were overwhelming."

"I think things that touch our hearts and souls stay with us forever. For me, this documentary and everything that happened with it is a special experience that I will never forget. To be part of a group of people who are so passionate about mountain biking and had the courage to embark on this new adventure is a privilege and has taught me a lot," says Faranak with emotion.

And this film also has a special significance for film producer Alec Wohlgroth: "After more than 20 years of sports and freeride film work, it gives me particular pleasure to discover that you can achieve so much with a sports film project. With a deeper subject matter, thanks to authentic protagonists like the Gehrig Twins and Faranak, as well as a concept that goes beyond the actual film, an extended project can be created that makes sense! With "Free Riding Iran" we have reached many people who are not interested in mountain biking. And we reached female mountain bikers who are otherwise not interested in bike videos. In the best case scenario, "Free Riding Iran" got something small, even a few more bikes, rolling."

freeridingiran.com