February 25-March 11, 2011
Asia Society and Museum
725 Park Avenue
New York, NY 10021

This film series highlights the global artistic and social significance of the work of filmmaker Jafar Panahi. Even before he made international headlines for his recent affiliation with the Green Movement in Iran, Panahi was celebrated as one of the most influential cinematic voices. He has received international recognition for his work, garnering the Venice Film Festival's Golden Lion, the Berlin Film Festival's Silver Bear, and the Cannes Film Festival's Camera d'Or awards.

Panahi is known for his realistic and unflinching portrayal of contemporary Iranian life, treating his subjects, often women and people living on the margins of society, with deep humanism. Using non-professional actors to play characters very much like themselves, his films evoke a social urgency. Panahi was recently sentenced to a six-year prison term and a twenty-year ban on filmmaking for his association with the Green Movement. The sentence is being appealed.

All films in Persian with English subtitles.

Free admission. Click on events for registration information.

Join the discussion online.    

The White Meadows
Dir. Mohammad Rasoulof. Iran. 2009. 93 min. 35mm.
Friday, February 25, 2011

In this dreamlike film, a boatman navigates the increasingly brackish waters around a coastal land, collecting the stories of heartaches and tears of its inhabitants. As he witnesses misguided attempts to appease the gods and make the land green again, whether by offering a bride to the sea or penalizing a painter who sees indifferent colors, the boatman remains powerless. The deeply poetic film is an allegory of intolerance, brutality, and superstition. Film edited by Jafar Panahi. Director Rasoulof received a six-year jail sentence along with Panahi. Both are appealing their sentences.

Film introduced by Hamid Dabashi, Hagop Kevorkian Professor of Iranian Studies and Comparative Literature, Columbia University, and Shahram Karimi, production designer of The White Meadows. Watch excerpts from the introduction and post-screening Q&A.

Co-presented with The Global Film Initiative. Read a special message about this film here.

Golden Seashell Award, San Sebastián International Film Festival

"A gorgeously wrought fable"—Nick Schager, Slant magazine

Offside
Dir. Jafar Panahi. Iran. 2006. 93 min. 35mm.
Saturday, February 26, 2011

Defying the law that prohibits women from attending sporting events, several young Iranian women disguise themselves as men to crash the qualifying game between Iran and Bahrainfor the 2006 World Cup at Tehran's Azadi Stadium. Mostly shot in real time during the actual game and featuring non-professional actors, the film, at once comedy, political allegory, and suspense, is an engaging tale about lively young women fighting for freedom.

Film introduced by Negar Mottahedeh, Associate Professor of Literature, Duke University. Watch an excerpt from Mottahedeh's introduction.

Silver Bear Award, 2006 Berlin International Film Festival

"Eloquent, invigorating, tightly paced, and endlessly enjoyable"—Michael Koresky, indieWIRE

Panel Discussion:
A Tribute to Jafar Panahi and Creative Expression in Iran
Wednesday, March 2, 2011

The panel highlights the cinematic achievement of filmmaker Jafar Panahi and explores the current state of creative expression in Iran.

Speakers include: Hamid Dabashi (Columbia University-Moderator), Hadi Ghaemi (International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran),Negar Mottahedeh (Duke University), Richard Peña (Film Society of Lincoln Center/Columbia University).

Watch the complete panel discussion and read the program summary.

Crimson Gold
Dir. Jafar Panahi. Iran. 2003. 95 min. 35mm.
Friday, March 4, 2011

Hussein, a pizza delivery man and Iran-Iraq war veteran, rides his motorcycle in Tehran to deliver orders. His job takes himto wealthy homes where he witnesses firsthand the life of the privileged. This day-to-day experience leaves him feeling invisible and humiliated. Circumstances lead to a violent robbery in a jewelry store, where Hussein takes on a final destructive path. Starring a real-life pizza delivery man, Crimson Gold takes a sharp look at economic disparity in a society where unrest is always waiting to explode. The screenplay, written by Abbas Kiarostami, is based on an actual event.

Film introduced by Hamid Dabashi, Hagop Kevorkian Professor of Iranian Studies and Comparative Literature, Columbia University. Watch excerpts from the introduction and post-screening Q&A.

Watch excerpts from Dabashi's talk on Panahi's sentence and the rise of great Iranian cinema.

Un Certain Regard Jury Prize, Cannes Film Festival.

"[Crimson Gold] exposes the cruelties and inequities of a society sharply polarized by class and corrupted by selfishness, snobbery, and cynicism."—A.O. Scott, The New York Times

The Circle
Dir. Jafar Panahi. Iran. 2000. 91 min. 35mm.
Friday, March 11, 2011, 6:45 pm

Several women, each having spent time in jail, find themselves in the punishing bustle of Tehran. One woman tries to return home but cannot get on a bus unaccompanied by a close male relative. Another woman seeking an abortion is threatened with violence. Others take desperate measures to find money. All are trapped in a circle of fate for women living in an oppressive society, whether in or out of jail.

Film introduced by Negar Mottahedeh, Associate Professor of Literature, Duke University. Watch an excerpt from Mottahedeh's introduction.

Golden Lion Award, Venice Film Festival

"Daring, despairing, beautiful work"—Richard Corliss, Time

This series is part of Creative Voices of Islam in Asia, a three-year initiative made possible by the Doris Duke Foundation for Islamic Art.

Special thanks: Hamid Dabashi, Santhosh Daniel, Hadi Ghaemi, Global Film Initiative, Negar Mottahedeh, Richard Peña.