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home > calendar > boston festival of films from iran
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| | Heiran An Iraqi girl falls in love with an Afghan immigrant. Screens January 15. | |
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The Boston Festival of Films from Iran Jan 8-17, 2010
The Boston Festival of Films from Iran has become one of the most extensive showcases of contemporary Iranian cinema in the United States. This year’s twelve-film program highlights documentaries, dramas, and comedies by both veteran and new directors.
On Jan 9, filmmaker and journalist Maziar Bahari will receive the ILEX Foundation Award for Excellence in Iranian Cinema and will premiere his new film An Iranian Odyssey: Mossadegh, Oil, and the 1953 CIA Coup. He will participate in a discussion with the audience after the screening. Bahari, who has dual Canadian-Iranian citizenship, was detained without charge in Tehran on June 21, 2009 while reporting on the fallout from the elections. He was released on October 17.
The Boston Festival of Films from Iran is supported by the ILEX Foundation with assistance from Olga Davidson and Niloo Fotouhi.
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The Films
Jan 8, 9 Shirin by Abbas Kiarostami
Kiarostami’s latest film—a combination feature film and installation piece—tells the tragic story of a 12th-century Armenian princess who falls in love with a Persian nobleman. The only images shown, however, are the faces of those in the audience, largely female and Iranian. Through their emotional reactions to the film, the audience is able to follow the narrative reflected through the faces on the screen.
Jan 9, 13 Two-Legged Horse by Samira Makhmalbaf
Makhamalbaf’s controversial film tells the story of Mirvais, a poor Afghani boy, hired for a dollar a day to act as porter and caregiver to a disabled boy. The relationship between the two becomes exceedingly sadistic and cruel, the “master” often referring to the other boy as his “horse.” Criticized for her dark, humiliating subject matter, Makhamalbaf maintains that her film is about humanity and survival, and how far one will go to dominate a relationship.
Jan 9 An Iranian Odyssey: Mossadegh, Oil, and the 1953 CIA Coup by Maziar Bahari
In 1951, Iranian Prime Minster Mohammad Mossadegh attempted to nationalize Iranian Oil, which had been monopolized by a British company for more than forty years. After a two-year struggle for the control of oil, Mossadegh’s government was a defeated in a coup carried out by the CIA in August 1953. An Iranian Odyssey uses exclusive archival material and eyewitness accounts to tell the story of Mossadegh’s battle and helps explain the current tension between Iran and the West.
Jan 13, 16 Niloofar by Sabine El Gemayel
A 12-year-old Iraqi girl, Niloofar dreams of learning to read and write, but within her village, education is reserved only for boys. Instead, Niloofar begins to assist her midwife mother, and through this meets a feminist who agrees to teach her in secret. When Niloofar discovers that her father plans to sell her into marriage, she runs away. Disgraced by his daughter, Niloofar’s father sends her brother to find her. El Gemayel explores the affects of arranged marriage and honor killings on young Middle Eastern women.
Jan 14 Countdown by Khatereh Hanachi
This documentary follows 18-year-old Parisa Pouladi as she studies day and night for the Iranian national college entrance exam. More than one million students take the exam each year, hoping to attend a top college, but fewer than half pass. The film tracks Parisa’s studies as the day of the exam grows near and her household falls into turmoil. Behind the Wheel of Life by Sahar Salahshour (2008, 26 min.). Nasrin, a female cab driver in Tehran, has an unconventional job for a woman in Iran. Despite this Nasrin manages to maintain her independence and control over her life as a single mother and her family’s sole breadwinner.
Jan 15 Heiran by Shalizeh Arefpour
During the rule of the Taliban in Afghanistan about three million Afghans, who were mostly illegal immigrants, entered Iran, causing numerous problems for the Iranian society. This film is the story of a 17-year-old rural girl by the name of Mahi, who comes from a war-stricken family in the southern Iran. Mahi falls in love with an Afghan student named Heiran, who has come to their village to work. But Mahi's family is firmly against her marriage to an Afghan, and forces Mahi to choose between her family and Heiran.
Jan 16 My Little Country by Abbass Mohammadi
A story chronicling Afghan independent schools in Iran, and how they operate without government support. Consulting God by Mohammad Sadegh Jafari Estekhareh — meaning “asking for God’s consultation”—has become so popular, clerics now use the Web to respond to people’s questions. The film addresses these concerns and reasons for this social phenomenon. Behind the Wheel of Life by Sahar Salahshoori (2008, 26 min.). Follow the daily struggles of Nasrin, a female cab driver and single mother.
Jan 17 Torgheh by Mohammad Hasan Damanzan
Four Iranian women deal with life's challenges by relieving their pain through music. Of Men and Motorcycles by Shahriar Siami Abbas endangers his life and the life of his passengers by driving his motorcycle through heavy Tehran traffic to send back money to his wife and children. My City, Pizza by Ala Mohseni Tehran’s fascination with pizza is a sign of modernity, which is a potential threat against traditional values.
Jan 17 A Man Who Ate His Cherries by Payman Haghani
Reza, an Iranian factory worker, returns home one night to find his wife Zari wants a divorce. Zari wants a better life, so Reza, desperate to provide the money necessary, considers how his coworker received monetary compensation after losing two of her fingers at their factory. Free of political commentary or revelations, A Man Who Ate His Cherries serves as a reminder that there is normality to life in Iran.
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All films produced in Iran and in Persian with English subtitles unless otherwise noted.
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