
“Balancing the Cultural Context with the Story’s Essence”: DP Mohammadreza Eyni on Cutting Through Rocks

Sara Shahverdi was the first elected Iranian councilwoman in her village, Cutting Through Rocks documents how she uses her power and resources to empower and protect women and girls. The film is the debut feature documentary of co-directors Sara Khaki and Mohammadreza Eyni.
Eyni also served as the World Documentary Competition entry’s director of photography. Below, explains how he earned the trust of his subjects and, alongside Khaki, was able to shoot in women-only spaces.
See all responses to our annual Sundance cinematographer interviews here.
Filmmaker: How and why did you wind up being the cinematographer of your film? What were the factors and attributes that led to your being hired for this job?
Eyni: As co-directors, [Sara Khaki and I] initially planned to hire a cinematographer for the film. However, in order to achieve the intimacy we envisioned, we soon realized it made sense if I took on that role. We wanted to film the unfolding events without the presence of a separate crew, which could disrupt the connection with our participants and the vérité nature of the film. Over time, we built strong relationships with our participants and having a separate cinematographer felt intrusive. In retrospect, this decision allowed us to create a deeper trust, which greatly enhanced the intimacy of the film.
Filmmaker: What were your artistic goals on this film, and how did you realize them? How did you want your cinematography to enhance the film’s storytelling and treatment of its characters?
Eyni: In this male-dominated community, where women are encouraged to marry young, become stay-at-home housewives, and face various societal limitations, it was crucial for us to approach the process of filming with sensitivity and respect. Gaining access to film both men and women in this context—indoors and outdoors—required a nuanced understanding of the culture and a commitment to treating it with care.
Over time, I managed to film communities of women who, under normal circumstances, would not have allowed a male presence. This access was possible because I collaborated closely with the female co-director Sara Khaki. While filming the women, I maintained a respectful distance, being careful not to intrude on their space with my camera.
At times, our main protagonist, Sara Shahverdi, visited locals who could potentially become characters in the unfolding story. During these visits, I often chose to position my camera at a distance, moving closer only if the story evolved to include these individuals more intimately. For example, when we first met the secondary female character Fereshteh, I deliberately stayed behind the door frame, keeping a respectful boundary. However, as the story progressed and relationships deepened, I was able to bring the camera closer to the main participants.
The observational nature of the film also brought unexpected moments that unfolded right in front of the camera. To capture these situations, I had to witness, listen, and then respond quickly with my camera. To prepare for such spontaneity, I spent my break times walking through the village, taking photographs with my phone. The photographs I took helped me with the location, people and visual potential for the film. This practice was so influential in my spontaneous decisions when filming unfolding vérité moments.
Filmmaker: Were there any specific influences on your cinematography, whether they be other films, or visual art, or photography, or something else?
Eyni: In the past, I was a director and cinematographer of several documentary films about visual artists, including acclaimed painters. Through these experiences, I learned a great deal from artists with diverse styles and developed a deep appreciation for the history of art. I also realized the importance of choosing the right visual language for a film—how you tell the story visually is just as crucial as the story itself.
When filming an unfolding situation, for me it wasn’t just about capturing what was happening in front of the camera but about how I interpreted and framed it. This perspective was heavily influenced by my work with visual artists.
Additionally, I gain a lot of inspiration through watching documentaries about animals and wildlife, where it’s challenging to anticipate the next moves of the subjects. Filming them requires a meditative observation and a readiness for the unexpected, qualities that are equally essential in documentary filmmaking. These experiences have shaped my approach to capturing the essence of a story as it unfolds.
Filmmaker: What were the biggest challenges posed by production to those goals?
Eyni: This documentary is set in a remote Iranian village, which came with many challenges and limitations. Beyond technical aspects of filmmaking, we had to navigate relationships, cultural nuances, and negotiations with the community to ensure the story was captured fairly and authentically.
The core theme of our film is invisibility, particularly for women and girls in this society. We used the camera as a visual tool to explore and convey this idea, which was the most challenging aspect of our cinematographic journey. Balancing the cultural context with the story’s essence required sensitivity, understanding, and a deep commitment to our vision.
Filmmaker: What camera did you shoot on? Why did you choose the camera that you did? What lenses did you use?
Eyni: Over the seven years of production, inevitably we used various cameras to help our storytelling. But mostly, we used the Canon C70. The reason why we ended up with the Canon C70 was because of its compact size yet its cinematic look. The lenses used were different depending on the scene that was captured. But mostly I used the Canon compact Servo lens.
Filmmaker: Describe your approach to lighting.
Eyni: We used natural lighting throughout the film.
Filmmaker: What was the most difficult scene to realize and why? And how did you do it?
Eyni: I think in retrospect, capturing the verité moments are by far the most challenging, mostly because we have no way of knowing what to anticipate next. One of those situations was when our main protagonist, Sara, took the teenage girls out for a motorcycle ride. In the beginning, Sara told the girls that they could follow her car with their motorcycles. So I knew where to position my camera for the most part. However, an unexpected event happened, which was important to capture, and I had to respond quickly with the camera. The real challenge is the decision that has to be made immediately and on-the-spot to react to the unfolding situation.
TECH BOX
Film Title: Cutting Through Rocks (اوزاک یوللار)
Camera: Mostly Canon C70, (other cameras such as Sony FS7, Nikon DSLR D5300, and Mobile Sony S 2021)
Lenses: Mostly Compact Servo (Other lenses include Tele and 50mm)
Color Grading: DaVinci