Iran Hyphenated - Short Film Event
Join the Center for Iranian Diaspora Studies at San Francisco State University, Diaspora Arts Connection, and the Aftab Committee for Iran Hyphenated: Short Films of the Iranian Diaspora, curated by Sara Zia Ebrahimi and. Lila Yomtoob.
After Screening Q & A with Filmmaker Lila Yomtoob.
Saturday, June 16, 2018, 4 pm
East Bay Media Center — 1939 Addison St. Berkeley, CA
Tickets: $15 General
Program – Total Running Time: 64 minutes
FILMS
Click the hyperlinked film titles to watch or learn more.
Scent of Germanium, Dir: Naghmeh Farzaneh Iran, Run Time: 5 minutes. Immigration is a new chapter in one's life, a chapter with unexpected events that can take one's life down paths different from the one imagined. This film is an autobiographical account of the director's experience with… immigration.
The Magic Shoes, Dir: Sahand Nikoukar, USA, Run Time: 10 minutes. Los Angeles, 1992. Nine-year-old Kamron and his family have just moved to the country from Iran in search of the American Dream. Kamron’s father struggles to maintain dignity in his search for a job, his mother wants to keep Persian traditions alive, while Kamron is thrust into the hip-hop culture of the 90s. Left out of the recess basketball games, Kamron fantasizes about impressing his classmates with high-flying dunks – and he’ll do anything to get the shoes that will make his dreams a reality.
America 1979, Dir: Lila Yomtoob USA, Run Time: 14 minutes. The Iran Hostage Crisis is in full effect, and even thought Regina's parents are Iranian, she was raised to be American. When political tensions create problems for her in school, Regina's confusion about her identity causes problems at home.
The FBI Blew Up My Ice Skates, Dir: Sara Zia Ebrahimi & Lindsey Martin. USA, Run Time: 7 minutes. The FBI Blew Up My Ice Skates (2016) is a short animated film co-directed by Sara Zia Ebrahimi and Lindsey Martin with an original score by Joel Roston. Based on a true story, the film tells a story from the Iran Hostage Crisis in 1980 from the perspective of Haleh, an eight year old who just wants to enjoy her ice skates. The film raises questions about the human cost of surveillance and the criminalization of immigrant communities, linking past policy decisions with current national discussions around security and xenophobia.
Virgin 72, Dir: Bita Haidarian Nossa Australia Run Time: 7 minutes. A startling, blackly comic variation on teen angst – a Muslim schoolgirl decides to become a suicide bomber in order to overcome her loneliness and exclusion, only to be surprised at what she discovers in the afterlife.
Reluctant Bride, Dir: Shideh Faramand Australia, Run Time: 6 minutes. Stuck in the middle of her younger sister’s big fat Persian engagement party, we are taken on a ride though the imagination and reality of a single Persian girl, and the pressures to get married.
Brain of Terror, Dir: Shahaub Roudbari USA, Run Time: 6 minutes. After watching back to back episodes of Homeland, an eccentric young woman has a dream that sparks an internal struggle with her ethnic identity.
Eddeaa, Dir: Abjeez Netherlands, Run Time: 4 Minutes. Music video for Dutch Iranian female pop duo Abjeez about the downside of some traditional Iranian values, juxtaposing traditional imagery with modern sounds and words.