Iran

Nazarbazi (the play of glances) is a film about love and desire in post-revolution Iranian cinema, where depictions of intimacy and touch between women and men are prohibited. Images and text come together to manifest the unspeakable and the untouchable, and to summon the current of desire.

After the revolution in 1979, Iran prohibited the depiction of men and women touching onscreen. Since then, directors have relied on every cinematic trick in the book to mirror the ecstatic release of tension through touch – but often it is the game of glances that is enough to set a scene ablaze. Nazarbazi collages these saturated cinematic moments into a poem about love and desire in Iranian film, that also echoes our own time of physical distancing.Read More »

A mother’s courage, hardship, and love, in times of war. In 1988, during the Iran-Iraq war, Gilane escorts her pregnant daughter, Maygol, from the relative calm of their village, Espili, into war-torn Tehran to search for Maygol’s husband, Rahman. The journey is arduous and what they find when they reach the capital is dismaying and frightening. Fifteen years later, as another war begins in Iraq, Gillane is at home caring for her son Ismael, who suffers from epilepsy, a byproduct of war. As she cares for him, she hopes for a visit from the doctor and from another daughter, Atefah. “Better be a dog than a mother,” she says.Read More »

The Iranian family man Javad is kidnapped by a descendant of Dracula, whose wife has forced him to give up drinking human blood. They become friends, but things go disastrously awry when Javad tries to lessen the vampire’s cravings through the use of drugs.

Starring: Levon Haftvan, Jaleh Sameti, Siamak Ansari, Vishka Asayesh & Reza Attaran.Read More »

An illustration of gradual destruction of an urban monster.Read More »

Shookhy (The Prank) is a 1999 Iranian drama that explores the fine line between innocence and responsibility through the story of a seemingly harmless prank that leads to unexpected consequences. Set within the simplicity of everyday life, the film captures how a small action can deeply affect relationships and individual emotions. Reflecting the signature style of Iranian cinema, the film features natural performances, minimal storytelling, and a strong focus on human behavior. Told largely from a child’s perspective, it offers a subtle yet powerful look at themes such as empathy, accountability, and the emotional weight of one’s actions.Read More »

Quote:
The Traveler is a 1974 Iranian drama film directed by Abbas Kiarostami that tells the story of Hassan Darabi, a troublesome, amoral 10-year-old boy in a small Iranian town. He wishes to see the Iran national football team play an important match in Tehran. In order to achieve that, he scams his friends and neighbors. After a number of adventures, he finally reaches Tehran stadium at the time of the match. The film addresses the boy’s determination in his goal and his indifference to the effects of his actions on other people, particularly those who are closest to him. In its element, the film is an examination of human behavior and the balance of right and wrong.Read More »

A government official travels across Iranian Kurdistan on a mission to stop 111 young women from committing suicide. An official selection of the prestigious, award-winning Global Lens Collection presented by the Global Film Initiative. Read More »

Since women are banned from soccer matches, Iranian females masquerade as males so they can slip into Tehran’s stadium to see the game between Iran and Bahrain. The ones who are caught and arrested are taken to a holding area and guarded by soldiers. One sympathetic soldier agrees to watch the game through a peephole and recount the action to the impatient fans.Read More »

Synopsis:
This is the story of women at three stages of life in Iran. The first part centers on a young girl on her ninth birthday who is told that she can no longer play with the boys she had been playing with only the day before because she is now a “woman”. Told from the perspective of a nine year old “woman” who does not feel like or know what that label refers to, we see how devastatingly this affects both the girl and the boy with whom she had been friends. The second part is about a young woman who decides to enter a bicycle race against her husband’s wishes. As first the husband and then increasing numbers of men from the village ride beside her to convince her to return home, the race begins to symbolize a freedom she desperately wants from the limitations which have been placed on her. Finally, the third part shows us an old woman who has come into some money and is now free to do what she wants. The way she chooses to use this freedom, however, makes one wonder just how free she is.Read More »