(Reuters) – Iranian-American filmmaker Hossein Keshavarz’s directorial debut, “Dog Sweat,” has won recognition at world film festivals, but it will never be seen in his homeland.
That’s because the tale of rebellious youth was shot underground in Iran with Keshavarz stealing scenes in public places, filming in private homes, then placing his film on a computer hard drive, putting it in a backpack and leaving the country.
“There’s no (Iranian) theater that would show this,” said Keshavarz, a graduate of Columbia University’s film program.
“Dog Sweat”, which opens in U.S. movie theaters on Friday, is the name of a type of liquor that can be bought on the Iranian black market in a country where alcohol is forbidden.
In the movie, it is a metaphor about a diverse group of young people looking for pleasure in a country where so much is prohibited. A gay man is forced into an arranged marriage. An unmarried couple cannot find a place to be alone. A female musician isn’t allowed to pursue a career due to her gender.
