Screening of "Nasrin" and Discussion

Center for Iranian Diaspora Studies at San Francisco State University and Comparative Literature and Middle East/South Asia Studies at UC Davis proudly present a screening and discussion of "Nasrin," a secretly filmed documentary portrait of the world’s most honored human rights activist and political prisoner, Nasrin Sotoudeh, and her involvement in the remarkably resilient Iranian women’s rights movement.

About the film:

"I urge you to see this timely and important film!" - Margaret Atwood

Synopsis: Secretly filmed in Iran by women and men who risked arrest to make this film. An immersive portrait of the world’s most honored human rights activist and political prisoner, attorney Nasrin Sotoudeh, and of Iran’s remarkably resilient women’s rights movement. In the courts and on the streets, Nasrin has long fought for the rights of women, children, religious minorities, journalists and artists, and those facing the death penalty. In the midst of filming, Nasrin was arrested in June 2018 for representing women who were protesting Iran’s mandatory hijab law. She was sentenced to 38 years in prison, plus 148 lashes. Featuring acclaimed filmmaker Jafar Panahi, Nobel Peace Prize laureate Shirin Ebadi, and journalist Ann Curry. Narrated by Academy Award-winner Olivia Colman.  Visit the Nasrin Film website.

About Nasrin Sotoudeh:

Nasrin began her career as a bank employee. On the side, she wrote for newspapers and journals under different names about the violation of human rights and women’s rights. She started to practice law in 2003 and has often worked as a human rights activist with her husband, Reza Khandan. They have two children. Sotoudeh was arrested in June 2018 for representing women who publicly protest Iran’s mandatory hijab laws, and sentenced to 38 years in prison, plus 148 lashes. Even in prison she has continued to challenge the authorities. In 2020 she launched a hunger strike to protest poor health conditions and the risk of Covid-19 in Iranian prisons.

About the artists:

Jeff Kaufman: Jeff Kaufman produced, directed, and wrote the documentaries Every Act Of Life (2018 Tribeca premiere, aired June 2019 on American Masters), The State of Marriage, Father Joseph, The Savoy King: Chick Webb and the Music That Changed America, Brush with Life: The Art of Being Edward Biberman, and Education Under Fire, plus a number of short films for Amnesty International, programs for The Discovery Channel, and The History Channel. He also edited/designed a book based on the film Every Act Of Life, contributed cartoons to The New Yorker, and illustrations to The Los Angeles Times and The New York Times, wrote/illustrated several children's books, and hosted daily radio shows in Vermont and Los Angeles.

Marcia S. Ross: Marcia Ross produced the documentaries Every Act of Life, The State of Marriage, Father Joseph, and The Savoy King. Ross has a long career as an independent casting director and casting executive, serving 16 years as EVP for Casting at Walt Disney Motion Pictures, and 5 years as VP for Casting and Talent Development at Warner Brothers TV. Some of her film and television credits include Clueless, Cujo, thirtysomething, Murder in Mississippi, 10 Things I Hate About You, The Princess Diaries, Romy and Michele’s High School Reunion, The Lookout, Enchanted, Oblivion, and Parental Guidance. She has received career achievement awards from the Casting Society of America and the Hollywood Film Festival.

Amir Soltani: Amir Soltani is an Iranian-American writer, filmmaker, and human rights activist. His graphic novel on protest and dissent in Iran, Zahra’s Paradise, co-created with Khalil Bendib, was nominated for two Eisner Awards. The story of a mother and blogger’s search for Mehdi, a student who has vanished in the aftermath of Iran’s 2009 presidential elections, Zahra’s Paradise made publishing history as a real-time online graphic novel translated into 16 languages. It was featured in a seminal article on the “Graphic Novel Renaissance” by Newsweek and covered by dozens of news outlets including The Economist, The New York Times, Der Spiegel, BBC, Jakarta Times, and others.

E-mail: iraniandiasporastudies@sfsu.edu