bitamag

Iranian Taboo, a documentary by Reza Allamehzadeh, will begin screening in Los Angeles from February 24 to March 1 at Laemmle’s Music Hall 3 in Beverly Hills and in DC, San Diego, Atlanta, Orlando, Montreal, Chicago, Toronto, San Francisco and Seattle in the following days.

Reza Allamehzadeh, an Iranian-Dutch filmmaker banned from entering his homeland, enlisted the aid of friends who clandestinely filmed inside Iran in order to explore this century old taboo.

Iranian Taboo tells the story of an Iranian Baha'i woman, Nadereh and her 14-year-old daughter who decide to sell all of their belongings and leave their homeland, to take refuge in the West.

Iranian Taboo takes us across continents from Turkey to Israel, and from the U.S. to Iran and gives us a unique insights into the persecution of Baha'is in Iran -from the underground Baha'i University (BIHE) to the oppressed Baha'i peasants of the Eival village in the northern province of Mazandaran. The film includes never seen before interviews with some of the most respected Iranian scholars, authors and politicians, speaking about the persecution of Baha’is in Iran.

All scenes within Iran were shot undercover by local contacts of the filmmaker.

To view the trailer and more information about screenings schedule, visit the film’s official website at www.IranianTaboo.com
February 24, 2012 - March 01, 2012 - LOS ANGELES - "Iranian Taboo" - Music Hall 3
February 26, 2012 - GROESBEEK, Netherlands - "Iranian Taboo" - Conference Centre De Poort
March 01, 2012 - WASHINGTON, DC - "Iranian Taboo" - Bethesda Row Cinema
Followed by Q&A with Reza Allamehzadeh, moderated by Fereidoun Farahandouz
March 01, 2012 - SAN DIEGO - "Iranian Taboo" - Hillcrest Cinema
March 03, 2012 - ATLANTA - "Iranian Taboo" - Georgia Tech
Followed by Q&A with Reza Allamehzadeh
March 04, 2012 - MONTREAL - "Iranian Taboo" - Cinema De Seve
March 04, 2012 - ORLANDO - "Iranian Taboo" - Rollins College
Followed by Q&A with Reza Allamehzadeh
March 06, 2012 - March 08, 2012 - CHICAGO - "Iranian Taboo" - Century Centre Cinema
March 09, 2012 - TORONTO - "Iranian Taboo" - Richmond Hill Center for The Performing Arts
March 13, 2012 - March 15, 2012 - SAN FRANCISCO - "Iranian Taboo" - Shattuck Cinemas
March 15, 2012 - SEATTLE - "Iranian Taboo" - Harvard Exit Theater

Director’s Statement:
I have made several challenging documentaries during my long career as a filmmaker. Films like "Speak out Turkmen!" on the bloody war between well organized army of the newly established Islamic regime of Iran (1979) and poorly organized Turkmen tribe in the northern Iran. "Holy Crime" on State terrorism of the Islamic government in Europe, which resulted in assassination of more than 80 well-known dissidents, in just one decade.

But none of them was as difficult to make as the ‘Iranian Taboo’. In spite of the fact that I'm banned to enter my homeland, I managed to film deep inside Iran, with the help of devoted friends who risked their lives to film the footage that I needed for this film. Organizing and obtaining access to the vast range of the interviewees in this film, from Shirin Ebadi to Abolhassan Banisadr was another challenging point that I managed to overcome.

‘Iranian Taboo’ is the most personal documentary that I have ever made!