The Archive's annual Celebration of Iranian Cinema returns and our program this year is as eclectic and diverse as ever. This year's offerings include six new features from Iran and the Diaspora, as well as compelling new documentary and short works on film and video. In addition, we hope to welcome several guests to present and discuss their work in person.
Please check back for updates on in-person guests for this program.
All films are in Persian with English subtitles, unless otherwise noted.
Special thanks to: Amir Shahab Razavian, Naveed Nour.
Thanks to: Barbara Scharres--Gene Siskel Film Center; Carter Long--Museum of Fine Arts, Boston; Nasrine Médard de Chardon--DreamLab Films.
Saturday January 31 2009, 7:30PM ( Online Ticket Sales Ended )
LONELY TUNES OF TEHRAN
(Taraneh Tanhaiye Tehran)
(2008, Iran/France) Directed by Saman Salour
This bittersweet comedy centers on a mismatched pair of cousins, the combative Hamid and his cousin Behrooz, a nerve-shattered war vet, who eke out a living installing illegal satellite dishes in Tehran. Director Saman Salour strikes a perfect balance between the poignant and the absurd as Hamid and Behrooz bring the world via satellite to their wealthy customers and find their own dreams forever out of reach.
Producer: Saman Salour. Screenwriter: Saman Salour. Camera: Touraj Aslani. Cast: Behrouz Jalili, Hamid Habibifar, Mojtaba Bitarafan, Mohammad Fassihi, Maryam Sabaghian. Presented in Persian dialogue with English subtitles. DigiBeta, 75 min.
Monday February 2 2009, 7:30PM ( Online Ticket Sales Ended )
AMONG THE CLOUDS
(2008, Iran) Directed by Rouhollah Hejazi
At a checkpoint on the Iran-Iraq border, 16-year-old Malek earns extra money pushing luggage for tourists and religious pilgrims. When he innocently woos a young woman who crosses frequently, Malek finds himself caught up in a criminal conspiracy spanning both countries. For this genre-bending teen romance-come-international thriller, director Hejazi won best debut feature at the Fajr Film Festival.
Producer: Saeeid Saadi. Screenplay: Mohammad Reza Gohari. Cinematographer: Farshad Mohammadi. Cast: Elnaz Shakerdoost, Younes Ghazali, Reza Mokhtari, Malek Seraj. Presented in Persian and Arabic dialogue with English subtitles. 35mm, 83 min.
Sunday February 8 2009, 7:00PM* ( Online Ticket Sales Ended )
A LIGHT IN THE FOG
(Cheraghi dar meh)
(2008, Iran) Directed by Panahbarkhoda Rezaee
In a mountain village, Rana cares for her ailing father while waiting against hope for the return of her husband who disappeared years before in the Iran-Iraq War. When a local bachelor proposes marriage, Rana must finally confront the depth of her grief. Marked by stunning compositions of fog-shrouded rural landscapes and a meditative pace, A Light in the Fog is a poetic exploration of solitude and loss.
* Please note the early start time.
Tuesday February 10 2009, 7:00PM* ( Free Admission )
Co-presented by the UCLA Film & Television Archive and the Hammer Museum
WOMEN IN SHROUD
(2009, Iran/Canada) Directed by Farid Haerinejad and Mohammad Reza Kazemi
This documentary film, directed by Farid Haerinejad and Mohammad Reza Kazemi, follows a dedicated group of Iranian lawyers and activists working together to counter the injustice of the death penalty. The screening is a part of the Sundance
Works in Progress series, which provides an opportunity for filmmakers and viewers to explore the creative process and examine the issues addressed in the film.
Admission to this screening is free.
Presented in Persian dialogue with English subtitles. Beta-SP, 70 min.
* Please note the early start time.
Friday February 13 2009, 7:30PM ( Online Ticket Sales Ended )
THE SONG OF SPARROWS
(Avaz-e gonjeshk-ha)
(2008) Directed by Majid Majidi
After Karim loses his job as an ostrich farmer, a twist of fate finds him making more money as a taxi driver in the big city. What, at first, appears like blessing becomes something considerably more ambiguous, however, as this once simple, loving family man becomes obsessed with acquiring material things. Master director Majid Majidi tells this allegorical tale with subtlety, humor and effortless grace.
Sunday February 15 2009, 7:00PM* ( Online Ticket Sales Ended )
7 BLIND WOMEN FILMMAKERS
(7 Filmsaze Zan-E Nabina)
(2008, Iran) Directed by Sara Parto, Shokoofe Davarnejad, Narges Haghighat, Banafshe Ahmadi, Mahdis Elahi, Naghmeh Afiat, and Neda Haghighat
This extraordinary omnibus film presents seven shorts made by a group of blind women who each participated in a yearlong filmmaking workshop initiated by director Mohammad Shirvani. Each short opens an intensely intimate window on the everyday experience of the blind while the collection as a whole raises fascinating questions about the nature of cinema itself.
* Please note the early start time.
Friday February 20 2009, 7:30PM ( Online Ticket Sales Ended )
3 WOMEN
(Se Zan)
(2008) Directed by Manijeh Hekmat
Six years after her controversial debut feature,
Women's Prison, director Manijeh Hekmat returns with a powerful story about three generations of Iranian women--a mother, grandmother and granddaughter--each on their own search for meaning. With warmth and tenderness, Hekmat weaves personal histories and national heritage together while Niki Karimi delivers a mesmerizing performance as a museum conservator caught between the demands of work and family
Saturday February 21 2009, 7:30PM ( Online Ticket Sales Ended )
A SELECTION OF SHORT FILMS AND VIDEOS FROM IRAN AND THE DIASPORA
Join us for an eclectic program of short narrative and non-fiction works on film and video. Please check later for a complete listing of films, descriptions and the program's running order.
The Archive would like to thank Amir Shahab Razavian (Color of Memory) and Naveed Nour for their invaluable help in putting this program together.
TRT: approx. 80 min.
MIRROR AND WATER
(2006) Directed by Bijan Zamanpira
An itinerant, rural showman makes a good living from his unusual, but captivating, trade until a rival, with better technology, forces him to "reflect" on his future.
TASTE OF THE SUN
(2006) Directed by Abbas Amini
Rough and tumble workers in the sugarcane fields of Southeast Iran share stories about loves lost and tattoos received in this stuning meditation on phyiscal labor and the natural world.
MY TREE
(2007) Directed by Sara Siadatnejad
The relationship between film and painting is playfully explored in this "living landscape."
THE VICTIM
Directed by Panahbarkhoda Rezaee
A woman's longing prayers for a child are answered, but lead to tragic conclusion in a rural village.
THE OLD MAN AND THE RAIL
(2007) Directed by Panahbarkhoda Rezaee
An old man waits for the return of his son at a remote railway station.
MOVEMENT
(2008) Directed by Sadaf Ahmadi
A motion sutdy of the color blue.
CITY LIGHTS
(2007) Directed by Ida Panahandeh
A seamstress finds a moment of calm looking out over the city lights after a long day.