Rob Munday

School uniforms are often seen as a way of creating equality and unity among students, whether that’s by reducing visible socioeconomic differences or encouraging discipline and togetherness. But uniforms can also be about control, shaping how people are expected to present themselves in public. In Our Uniform, Oscar-nominated filmmaker Yegane Moghaddam explores this tension through the experiences of young women in Iran, where the mandatory inclusion of the hijab within school dress codes carries political, cultural, and deeply personal weight. Avoiding a heavy-handed or overtly political approach, instead Moghaddam crafts a thoughtful reflection on conformity, identity, and institutional pressure.

Running at just under seven minutes, Our Uniform is impressively layered in both style and meaning. Created through a “very playful & experimental process of combining fabric, 2D animation and childhood memories”, the film turns that material (Moghaddam’s own clothing) into part of the storytelling, where the uniforms become both physical objects and symbolic burdens. The project was originally intended to be an animated documentary featuring interviews with Iranian schoolgirls, but after authorities prevented Moghaddam from using the students’ voices, the film evolved into a more personal reflection on the subject. However, this absence of direct testimony ultimately feels fitting, reflecting the wider restrictions placed on Iranian women – restrictions that Our Uniform quietly but powerfully seeks to expose.

While I’d still be interested to see what that original version of the film might have looked like, what makes Our Uniform so compelling is the way it refuses to reduce its subject into something simplistic. The film makes it clear that it is not criticising the hijab or the women who choose to wear it, but instead focuses on the systems of control surrounding it. Because of that, Moghaddam avoids the kind of reductive conversations that often dominate Western discussions about Iranian women and identity politics. The result is a film that feels politically thoughtful without ever becoming preachy, gaining a lightness and accessibility through that inventive visual style. Its success – including awards at Annecy and Fantoche – feels completely deserved, and with a sequel reportedly in development, it’ll be exciting to see how Moghaddam builds on these already impressive foundations.