{"id":215502,"date":"2026-03-11T22:13:09","date_gmt":"2026-03-11T22:13:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/215502\/"},"modified":"2026-03-11T22:13:09","modified_gmt":"2026-03-11T22:13:09","slug":"fire-lady-of-iranian-film-to-speak-in-berkeley","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/215502\/","title":{"rendered":"‘Fire Lady’ of Iranian film to speak in Berkeley"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"AA still from \u201cGilaneh,\u201d a 2005 film directed by Rakhshan Banietemad and Mohsen Abdolvahab. Credit: Omid Film<\/p>\n

This spring, as the war in Iran continues, the\u00a0Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive<\/a>\u00a0is hosting a series of Iranian films.<\/p>\n

Over two months, BAMPFA will screen films depicting family dynamics and dramatic relationships, the work of prominent activists who\u2019ve planted deep seeds in Iran and others who\u2019ve fled the country in order to grow.<\/p>\n

The Iranian Cinema: From Aesthetics to Politics<\/a>\u00a0spans multiple decades, offering a layered look at life in Iran with a focus on the stories of women.<\/p>\n

Series curator and UC Berkeley professor\u00a0Minoo Moallem<\/a>\u00a0explains that the series \u201ctraces\u00a0Iran\u2019s New Wave cinema<\/a>\u00a0from the 1970s on.\u201d<\/p>\n

This week, the theatre holds two screenings of\u00a0Sohrab Shahid Saless<\/a>\u2018s 1975 film\u00a0Far from Home<\/a>, the story of a Iranian \u201cguest worker\u201d in Germany dealing with alienation, cultural differences and other byproducts of migration.<\/p>\n

Next is the 1972 film\u00a0The Postman<\/a>, from the late director\u00a0Dariush Mehrjui<\/a>, which adapts 19th century German playwright\u00a0Georg B\u00fcchner<\/a>\u2018s heartbreaking drama\u00a0Woyzeck\u00a0to 1970s Iran.<\/p>\n

The series also features\u00a0Bahram Beyzaie<\/a>\u2018s 1986 movie\u00a0Bashu, the Little Stranger<\/a>, which will be shown on March 29 and April 8.<\/p>\n

At the center of the film series is the work of\u00a0Rakhshan Banietemad<\/a>. An award-winning filmmaker who emerged in the wake of the 1979 Iranian Revolution, Banietemad is known as \u201cthe first lady\u201d of Iranian cinema. Next month, as three of her films show at BAMPFA, Banietemad will visit Berkeley to discuss her work with Moallem.<\/p>\n

\u201cHer films depict the textures of everyday life,\u201d Moallem says of Banietemad. Banietemad illuminates women\u2019s experiences in Iran, while also covering topics like environmental degradation and poverty, in both urban and rural settings, Moallem says. At the same time, Banietemad\u2019s films push against \u201cthe limits of state censorship and patriarchal cultural practices.\u201d<\/p>\n

Banietemad\u2019s 2015 film\u00a0All My Trees<\/a>, which concentrates on the work of the late environmental activist\u00a0Mahlagha Mallah<\/a>, screens on April 22. Her 2001 film\u00a0Under the Skin of the City<\/a>\u00a0screens April 23, with her 2005 film\u00a0Gilaneh<\/a>\u00a0screening later that evening.<\/p>\n

The feature films\u00a0Under the Skin of the City<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Gilaneh<\/a>\u00a0have different tones, as they\u2019re set in different times. But at their core, both focus on families led by matriarchs who are finding ways to manage amid political turmoil and societal issues \u2014 a key theme of the series.<\/p>\n

The series\u2019 finale, Moallem explains, includes films especially relevant right now.\u00a0Under the Skin of the City\u00a0is \u201can unflinching look at gendered and economic violence,\u201d while\u00a0Gilaneh\u00a0is about \u201cthe Iran\u2013Iraq war\u2019s long aftermath and the burden of care work.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2018The Iranian Cinema: From Aesthetics to Politics<\/a>\u2019 runs through April 23 at BAMPFA (2155 Center St., Berkeley).\u00a0Details and ticket information here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u200b\u200bBerkeleyside is a media partner of KQED<\/a>, a listener-supported public radio station serving Northern California. Berkeleyside occasionally republishes KQED stories we believe will be of interest to our readers.<\/p>\n

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