Film

The US-Iran Program continues to sponsor the exchange of Iranian and American films, producers, directors, and actors.

Leading American Talent Agent and SFCG staff to Iran, February 2007
David Guç, a leading talent agent who is President of Vanguard Management Group participated in the 25 International Fajr Film Festival in Tehran as the Chair of the Jury in the Spiritual Films category. Sonya Reines, our US-Iran Program Manager, and Deborah Jones of Common Ground Productions, also participated in the film festival and were able to expand considerably our contacts with Iranian filmmakers. This is the second time that we were able to send a leading Hollywood personality to the Fajr Film Festival in Tehran. This is a continuation of SFCG's work to facilitate meetings between U.S. and Iranian filmmakers.

American Filmmaker to Iran, February 2006
Bob Chartoff, American Producer of such films as In My Country and Rocky, traveled to Iran under SFCG auspices from January 21-28, 2006 to participate as a juror in the spiritual films section of the 24th International Fajr Film Festival. Bob was appointed President of the jury and presented at the awards ceremony at the close of the Festival. Bob met with a number of filmmakers and discussed with our Iranian colleagues possibilities for cooperative film projects. He reported that there is a definite interest in continuing the kinds of initiatives SFCG has been facilitating between the US and Iran, and that the Iranians are open to further exchanges with American filmmakers.

"Persepolis Recreated" Screening, October 2004
In cooperation with American University's Center for Global Peace, SFCG co-sponsored a documentary film presentation, Persepolis Recreated, by Farzin Rezaeian on October 30, 2004, at American University in Washington, D.C. Persepolis Recreated, through its striking footage and 3-dimensional reconstruction, allows the audience to visualize the beauty and dazzling splendor of Persepolitan palaces before their sad destruction. The film screening was preceded by a discussion with the director and guest speaker John Prevas, historian and author of the upcoming book "Envy of the Gods: Alexander the Great's Ill-Fated Journey Across Asia".

"Crimson Gold" Screening, February 2004
The US-Iran Program co-sponsored the screening of Crimson Gold on February 6, 2004 at Visions Bar Noir in Washington, D.C. This new Iranian film, directed by Jafar Panahi and written by Abbas Kiarostami, was shown in partnership with the American Iranian Council and the Middle East Institute. The evening began with a champagne reception, followed by the film screening and a panel discussion with Professor Olga M. Davidson of Brandeis University and the ILEX foundation, and Dr. Shireen Hunter of the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

"Marooned in Iraq" Screening, September 2002
The US-Iran Program co-sponsored the premier of Iranian filmmaker Bahman Ghobadi's most recent film, Marooned in Iraq, at the Corcoran Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. on September 25th and September 27th, 2002. Due to visa delays, Bahman Ghobadi was unable to travel to the US in time for the screenings and his sister Azar Ghobadi spoke on his behalf. The film was presented in two sold-out evenings at the Corcoran, followed by a Q&A with Azar and the audience.

On Thursday, September 26th, Azar Ghobadi spoke to Montgomery County's Springbrook High School in Silver Spring, MD. The "Modern World" 10th grade class enrolled in Springbrook's International Baccalaureate program previously viewed Bahman Ghobadi's highly acclaimed 2000 film, A Time For Drunken Horses, and then met with Azar to discuss the theme and subject matter of the film that depicts the life of Kurds living in Iranian Kurdistan. Also on September 26th, Azar Ghobadi shared her insights on her homeland at the Rust Branch Library of Loudoun County in Leesburg, VA preceding the screening of A Time For Drunken Horses. These events were organized in association with Renee Wright of Lens to Lens, Inc., and co-presented with the ILEX Foundation, the Corcoran Gallery of Art, and through the generous contributions of John W. Kiser, III and the William & Mary Greve Foundation, Inc.

Film House of Makhmalbaf, May-June 2002
In association with Lens to Lens, Inc., the National Gallery of Art, and the American Film Institute, the US-Iran Program presented the Film House of Makhmalbaf from May 17th-June 15th 2002. The retrospective featured approximately twenty films by Iranian filmmaker Mohsen Makhmalbaf and his family, shown at both the National Gallery and AFI in Washington, D.C. Support for this series was also provided by Hamid Dabashi, Mohammad Reza Safiri, John W. Kiser, III and the William and Mary Greve Foundation, Inc.

"One of the exceptional chapters in recent film history has been the emergence of the New Iranian Cinema, a movement first noted in the 1980s in the work of such directors as Abbas Kiarostami, Jafar Panahi, Majid Majidi and Mohsen Makhmalbaf. Simply stated, the reason for this cinema's phenomenal success is its human scale - straightforward and eloquent storytelling employing everyday happenings, ordinary people and real locations - all accomplished on shoestring budgets. Devoid of sensational effects, and with relatively modest plots, the emphasis is on ideas." ~ National Gallery of Art, Spring 2002

The Film House of Makhmalbaf is a film school and production facility, founded and directed by director Mohsen Makhmalbaf and his family. His wife, Marzieh Meshkini, and children Samira, Maysam and Hana, are all full-fledged filmmakers and also serve as technical associates or assistant directors on Makhmalbaf's films. The following films were included in the retrospective:

"A Moment of Innocence" (Mohsen Makhmalbaf, 78 minutes)
"The Silence" (Mohsen Makhmalbaf, 76 minutes)
"Afghan Alphabet" (Mohsen Makhmalbaf, 46 minutes)
"The Cyclist" (Mohsen Makhmalbaf, 95 minutes)
"Fleeing from Evil to God" (Mohsen Makhmalbaf, 89 minutes)
"Kandahar" (Mohsen Makhmalbaf, 85 minutes)
"The Pedlar" (Mohsen Makhmalbaf, 95 minutes)
"Close-Up" (Abbas Kiarostami, 95 minutes)
"Boycott" (Mohsen Makhmalbaf, 85 minutes)
"The Apple" (Samira Makhmalbaf, 86 minutes)
"Gabbeh" (Mohsen Makhmalbaf, 75 minutes)
"The Day I Became A Woman" (Marzieh Meshkini, 78 minutes)
"Marriage of the Blessed" (Mohsen Makhmalbaf, 75 minutes)
"Salaam Cinema" (Mohsen Makhmalbaf, 70 minutes)
"The Actor" (Mohsen Makhmalbaf, 85 minutes)
"Once Upon A Time, Cinema" (Mohsen Makhmalbaf, 90 minutes)
"Time of Love" (Mohsen Makhmalbaf, 75 minutes)
"Blackboards" (Samira Makhmalbaf, 85 minutes)
"How Samira Made Blackboards" (Maysam Makhmalbaf, 76 minutes)

Iran Film Series, Winter 2000
During January and February, 2000, we co-hosted the Fourth Annual Film Series of Films from Iran at the Smithsonian Freer Gallery in Washington, DC.

American Filmmaker to Iran, September 2000
Working with Khaneh Cinema, SFCG brought "Hamlet" director Michael Almereyda
to Iran for the National Film Day Awards where he met with Iranian film-makers and actors.

"The Color of Paradise" Screening, October 1999
In cooperation with the American Film Institute, the US-Iran Program screened Majid Majidi's film, The Color of Paradise, at the Kennedy Center in October 1999.