New York University will host “Iran on Film: A Forum on Culture, Politics, and Daily Life in Iranian Documentary Cinema,” an event, in partnership with independent broadcaster Link TV, featuring excerpts of four documentary films and a panel discussion, on Thurs., Feb. 9, 6-8:30 p.m.
The event, to be held at NYU’s Gallatin School of Individualized Study, Jerry H. Labowitz Theatre for the Performing Arts (1 Washington Place [at Broadway]), is free and open to the public. For more information, call 212.998.8877. Reporters wishing to attend the event must RSVP to James Devitt, NYU’s Office of Public Affairs, at 212.998.6808 or james.devitt@nyu.edu. Subways: N, R (8th Street); 6 (Astor Place).
Since the 1979 Iranian Revolution, Americans’ exposure to Iran has been largely limited to the news media’s portrayal of the nation’s leadership, leaving many in the U.S. with little understanding of the lives of ordinary Iranians. This event aims to offer a fuller portrait of the country and its people through film, analysis, and discussion.
The event coincides with Link TV’s forthcoming “Bridge to Iran” series, which aims to address the cultural differences and political tensions that have developed between the Iran and the U.S. since the 1979 Iranian revolution.
The excerpts to be shown are from the following documentary films, all from the “Bridge to Iran” series: “Siah Bazi” (2005), by Maryam Khakipour, which follows a well-known street theater troupe; “A Cinematographic Revolution” (2007), by Nader Takmil Homayoun, which explores contemporary Iran through its cinema; “The Queen and I” (2009), by Nahid Sarvestani, which documents the filmmaker’s uneasy encounters with the former Queen of Iran; and “We are Half of Iran’s Population” (2009), by Rakhshan Bani Etemad, which looks at women’s participation in the controversial 2009 elections.
Following the screenings, panelists will discuss the films and their portrait of Iran and its people. They include: Negar Mottahedeh, a professor of Literature and Women’s Studies at Duke University; independent filmmaker Persheng Vaziri, co-producer of Link TV’s “Bridge to Iran” series; and filmmaker Maryam Khakipour (“Siah Bazi”/”The Joymakers”).
The event is sponsored by NYU’s Hagop Kevorkian Center for Near Eastern Studies and the university’s Iranian Studies Initiative, in collaboration with Link TV and with support from the Social Science Research Council.