BAY AREA PREMIER: This film (see stills) will leave you stunned, so much so that you'll be thinking about it for a very long time. Beyond Words was shot mostly in Iranian Kurdistan. Its Iranian-born filmmaker, Jahanshah Ardalan writes, "At first I went there to look further into my family's 1000 years of documented history in Kurdistan. An old childhood mystery about Kurdistan gradually took over and changed my focus. That enigma, shrouded in myths and folk tales, centered on the elusive men of the Ghaderi order of Derwishes or Sufis in Kurdistan..." Warning: Because of the graphic scenes in this film viewer discretion is strongly advised. No children under 15 allowed.

Top

But You Speak Such Good English
Marjan Safinia & Parisa Taghizadeh / 1999 / 25 min./video. Friday 5th Sept (Engligh)

BAY AREA PREMIER: See Omid Djalili before he became a Hollywood star (he's a cast member on Whoopi, an NBC sitcom premiering this fall). This witty documentary also has interviews with Shappi Khorsandi and Peyvand Khorsandi, and other young, first-generation Iranians in London talking about nostalgia, exile, soccer and national identity. You'll get a good feel of how much Iranians abroad have in common.

Top

Charkh-o-Falak: Tajik Musical Culture
Mehdi Jami / 2003 / 90 min./video. Friday 5th Sept (English/Tajik Persian)

WORLD PREMIER: Tajiks are as Persian as you can get. Their language and culture and music are very similar to their Iranians ancestors. This new documentary follows Shahzoda Nazarova, a Tajik journalist from Samarkand (in Uzbekistan) who has not been able to visit Tajikistan after the collapse of the former Soviet Union Republic. She sets out on a trip to Tajikistan and visits musicians and scholars of Tajik music and dance. See >>>

Top

Lahooti: Iranian Poet in Communist Russia
Soviet-eraTajik Production/ 45 min./video. Sunday 7th Sept (Tajik Persian, no subtitles)

POST-USSR PREMIER: Ever heard of Abolqassem Lahooti (1887-1957)? He's a national poet in Tajikistan but largely unknown in his native Iran . Lahooti was a communist revolutionary who fled to the Soviet Union in the 1940s. This biography (see stills) was made by Tajik director Dawlat Khodanazar before the breakup of the Soviet Union and includes rare footage of Tabriz under the rule of Iranian communists.

Top

Najeeb: A Persian Girl in America
Tannaz Eshaghian / 2002 / 25 min./video. Saturday 6th Sept (English)

Shot in New York and Los Angeles, this film offers a rare glimpse into the inner circles of the tightly knit Persian Jewish community. Come along and laugh (and sigh) with Tanaz Eshaghian as she attempts to reconcile her own independence with the expectations of her parents, extended family, and the occasional matchmaker. Tanaz explores whether women of her generation can possibly be 'Najeeb'-- the demure, reserved feminine ideal deemed worthy of marriage. 

Top

The Outsiders: Iran in 1998 World Cup
October Films / 1999 / 52 min/video. Saturday 6th Sept (English)

BAY AREA PREMIER: In this production for Channel 4, British comedians Nick Hancock and Andy Smart chart the progress of the Iranian National soccer team at the 1998 World Cup Finals in France. It includes highlights from the Iran-U.S. match, intimate interviews with team members and shots of thousands of Iranian fans -- including at least one from the Bay Area (many of you will recognize him!). A real crowd pleaser, this film is. See >>>

Top

Ta'zieh
Parviz Jahed / 2001 / 75 min./video. Friday 5th Sept (Persian, with English subtitles)

BAY AREA PREMIER: Theater experts, including Bahram Beyzaie, Jaber Anasari, Peter Chelkowski, Abdol-ali Khalili and Laleh Taghianan discuss elements of Shiite sacred-ritual plays typically performed in rural villages of Shavy Lasht region in Iran's Mazandaran Province. Comparare and contrast Ta’zieh with modern theater and measure its impact on Iranian contemporary theater. See >>>

Top

Tickets: Daily pass ($15.00) for all films screened each evening.
Available at the gate only.

* Send this annoucement to your friends *