London, Dec 15, IRNA -- The female directors of a documentary on runway girls in Iran, in an interview with IRNA denied accusations that they tried to portray a negative image of the Islamic state in Iran.

"We only wanted to focus on an issue which is universal," said Ms. Ziba Mir-Hosseini, who together with Kim Longinotto, directed and produced the `Runway' which was shown on Channel 4 in the UK last month.

The film left a positive impression on many but for some others it came as an "oddity" that tried to give a negative image about the status of women in the Islamic Republic of Iran.

"Films sometimes don't mean to be negative but they go in a very hard political way and they decide before they go. This film is very much the girls' own film and their own voice. We don't tell people what to think and we are just trying to be as honest and as open as we can," said Ms. Longinotto.

The 85-minute documentary is, in the opinion of many viewers, an eye-opening account of life in a shelter for runway girls in Iran called `Reyhaneh'. It is the story of desperate runaway girls, all under 20, who have fled their homes to escape abuse and intolerable restrictions.

The duo had previously produced an award-winning `Divorce Iranian Style' - a thought-provoking documentary.

Mir-Hosseini believes that the role of a documentary has to be critical and give voice to people who don't have a voice.

"We wanted to humanize the topic. Every filmmaker has a point of view. You never go with a neutral mind. But in our films, we allow people to make up their mind. We show them the complexity of the situation and let them judge."

Longinotto described the women in `Runaway' as "very positive, strong, articulate, clever, and funny." She even went further in praising the real characters in the film. "They are women that people can relate to and can admire. They are sort of heroes really."

The two directors also categorically rejected charges by some critics that `Runaway' is rather an `oddity' in the Iranian society.

"The case is strikingly similar in all societies. The girls want independence and at the same time they love their family. Any girl could relate to that," said Longinotto.

Mir-Hosseini said the phenomenon of runaway girls has always existed in Iran but was a taboo until some time ago.

"If you look at statistics, the percentage of girls running away from home in Iran is always higher than that of boys. But what is new in Iran is that for the first time, it has been recognized as a problem. It always existed but nobody talked about it. It was a taboo. But I think it goes back to the changes that have happened in the Iranian society in the past ten or twenty years, and specially in the past four years since the reformists came to power.

"Since Reyhaneh was created, for the first time you read articles about runaway girls. Before that there was no mention. When people do not talk about an issue, it does not mean that issue does not exist. Iran is a society in transition. It is true that there is a lot of value to protect girls by their families, but there is also a lot of pressure on them. So, you get both sides of the story.

"On the other hand, in any ideal system, when we talk about social problems and social realities, we always idealize. We say, every Muslim should love his family. But we know there are many Muslims who are bad with their families. So, there is a difference between what a society says, what a religion says in ideal terms, and what those people do.

"As anthropologists, social scientists and filmmakers, we are looking at the gap between the `ideal' and the `practical'. If you want to understand about the norms and values of the society, you've got to look at the odd cases. Because it is there when the lines are drawn. The viewer wants a film that deals with drama, when things happen and that is what makes it interesting. For instance, by filming `Divorce, Iranian Style' we wanted to talk about the story of the girls. It is here that we realize case study has a value as well."

Mir-Hosseini also refuted charges by those who accuse her of trying to establish a link between the desperate situation of the runaway girls and the ruling establishment in Iran.

"That is very defensive. I believe in the intelligence of the audience and they can make up their mind. There are people who see a political side in everything. We are not responsible for the people's perception."

She said Iranian opposition based abroad accused her of "giving a human face to the Islamic Republic" by her documentary Divorce Iranian Style.

"I am attacked by the opposition that the film is not real. They tell me you have chosen a good judge, and strong women whereas women are suffering in Iran and you are silent about that."

Mir-Hosseini concluded her remarks by saying that she was proud of her culture and identity.

"As an Iranian, I have come to the conclusion that I am not going to be an apologist. If, as an Iranian, I cannot look at my culture critically, then it is the end of my place in that culture.

"At the same time, I am proud of my culture, of my identity. So I am not scared of showing the problems of my country to the Western audiences. If I were, for instance, a Western social scientist, feminist or filmmaker, they would never ask me this question. Perhaps because we as Iranians are obsessed about how other people think about us. If we don't respect ourselves, no body is going to respect us. And to respect yourself and your culture, you have got to be honest and relate to your culture from a point of honesty."