A major identifiable theme in this year's program is Iranian culture, whether it's pop cultureincluding a love triangle and murder that rocked Iran in 2002 (The Red Card) and provided steamy headlines for the Iranian tabloids for months; military culture in Night Bus and Those Three; small town culture in Dandelions Dance in the Wind; an irreverent and entertaining "history" of the city of Tehran in Tehran Has No More Pomegranates!; and an ode to one of the world's most important and enduring art forms in Persian Carpet, which features contributions by contemporary Iran's leading filmmakers, from Bahman Ghobadi to Rakhshan Bani-Etemad.
Nevertheless, most of the works in this series are by emerging directors and the program provides audiences with the opportunity to discover new filmmaking talent from Iran. We also hope to welcome several guests to present and discuss their work in person. Please check our website at www.cinema.ucla.edu for updates on in-person guests for this program.
All films are in Persian with English subtitles, unless otherwise noted.
Friday March 14 2008, 7:30PM
PERSIAN CARPET
(FARSH-E IRANI)
(2007)
Iran's proudest export (besides its cinema) is the focus of this film, which features contributions by 15 leading directors, including Abbas Kiarostami, Rakhshan Bani-Etemad, Bahman Farmanara, Dariush Mehrjui and many others. The directors' individual short works and approaches to the subject are as varied as the colors and designs that make up the titular focus of this ambitious omnibus film.
Saturday March 15 2008, 7:30PM
TEHRAN HAS NO MORE POMEGRANATES!
(TEHRAN ANAR NADARAD)
(2006) Directed by Massoud Bakhshi
Director Bakhshi's playful "history" of Tehran is an engaging and irreverent
Screenwriter: Massoud Bakhshi. 35mm, 67 min.
Sunday March 30 2008, 7:00PM*
NIGHT BUS
(OTOBOUS-E SHAHBANEH)
(2007) Directed by Kiumars Pourahmad
Cast: Mehrdad Seddiqian, Khosro Shakibai. 35mm, 90 min.
* Please note the early start time.
Saturday April 5 2008, 7:30PM
RED CARD
(CARTE GHERMEZ)
(2006) Directed by Mahnaz Afzali
In 2002, Iran's tabloid press erupted over the celebrity trial of Shahla Jahed, accused of murdering the wife of her soccer-star lover. The public's fascination was fueled by Shahla's brazen behavior in court, smirking, haranguing, cajoling and even cracking jokes with the bemused judge.
Sunday April 6 2008, 7:00PM*
THOSE THREE
(AN SEH)
(2007) Directed by Naghi Nemati
In this spare but entertaining drama, three soldiers gone AWOL soon find themselves in the middle of nowhere during an icy winter.
Cast: Yousef Yazdani, Esmail Movahedi, Fatemeh Mir. 35mm, 80 min.
* Please note the early start time.
Friday April 11 2008, 7:30PM
COLORS OF MEMORY
(2007, Iran/Germany)
Directed by Amir Shahab Razavian
A recently divorced surgeon, Dr. Parsa, is called back to Iran from Germany to perform a complicated surgery. While there, his late father's friend (Entezami) urges him to visit his earthquake-ravaged hometown of Bam to save his family's dying palm groves. The resulting film is a compelling portrait of a man grappling with memories of his homeland, his father and a long lost love.
In Person: Amir Shahab Razavian
Screenwriter: Amir Shahab Razavian, Armin Hoffman. Cast: Shahbaz Noshir, Ezatollah Entezami. 35mm, 102 min.
Friday April 18 2008, 7:30PM
A SELECTION OF SHORT FILMS AND VIDEOS FROM IRAN AND THE DIASPORA
Various formats, approx. 80 min.
Sunday April 20 2008, 7:00PM*
DANDELIONS DANCE IN THE WIND
(GHASEDAK-HA DAR BAD MIRAGHSAND)
(2007) Directed by Mohammad-Ebrahim Mo'ayyeri
Screenwriter: Mohammad-Ebrahim Mo'ayyeri. Cast: Mosa Khademian, Anahita Ghafarian. DigiBeta, 88 min.
* Please note the early start time.
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