Angel on the Right Women's Prison

Angel on the Right, from Tajikistan, explores the experience of a ex-con just sprung from a Moscow jail. Women's Prison, from Iran, investigates the claustrophobic world of women behind bars. A dark comedy about family ties, Russian gangsters, and revenge, Angel on the Right focuses on a toughened ex-con sprung from a Moscow jail returning to his hometown to help his ailing mother. (Djamshed Usmonov; Tajikistan; 2002, 88 mins.)

Directed by one of Iran's most accomplished female filmmakers, Women's Prison uses the claustrophobic world of women behind bars—including supposedly nonexistent prostitutes and drug addicts—to comment on societal issues common to Iran since the 1979 Islamic Revolution. (Manijeh Hekman; Iran; 2002, 106 mins.)

The Global Lens series was organized by the New Yorkñbased Global Film Initiative, which promotes cross-cultural dialogue through cinema.