Docunight

After 17 Days • Directed by Babak Bahram Beigi • Iran

After 17 Days is a heartwarming film about a family that one day decides to adopt a girl named Zeynab, whose living conditions were very poor. Despite the fact that the family deals with poverty and misery, they accept and welcome her with open arms. Bahram Beigi captures the emotional rollercoaster that comes with the adoption process, from the initial excitement and joy to the doubt and fear. He also shows the complexity of Zeynab’s character and conveys the trauma and emotional pain she has experienced. This emotional and uplifting documentary sheds light on the importance of providing a safe and loving home for children in need.

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Like No One Else • Directed by Puya Dalili • Iran

Like No One Else spotlights the life of Mehdi Azar Yazdi, who is known as the father of Iran’s children’s literature. The film follows him through his struggles, loneliness, and moments of joy, but more importantly, it focuses on the modesty of his life and how his outstanding works came from a lifetime of effort. His Good Stories for Good Children is one of Iran’s bestselling children’s books and has entertained generations of children.

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The Nowrooz Maqam • Directed by Hadi Afarideh • Iran

This documentary introduces audiences to the Persian Maqaami music that live in Torbat Jaam, Khorasan Province. This form of traditional music is very popular in the Middle East and Central Asia, especially mainly on the eve of the Persian New Year, Nowrooz. Afarideh masterfully blends together shots of the mesmerizing nature found in Khorasan with the pleasant sound of Persian music, all while presenting a delightful, short documentary. The result is a lyrical transcendence beyond the screen, in which the humanitarian spirit of the main character gives rise to wonderfully inviting music.

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Iranian Pets Club • Directed by Hadi Afarideh • 2018 • Iran

In the last decade, keeping special pets such as snakes, tarantulas, alligators, monkeys, and even scorpions has become very common in Iranian houses.
Unlike domestic pets such as dogs, these animals do not need to go outside the house and they are kept in the closed apartment spaces.
Due to the increasing demand for buying various pets, a large underground network has been created to buy and sell animals, and keeping pets has become a strong culture and economy in Iran.

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The Afar • Directed by Hadi Afarideh • Iran

The Afar spotlights the local, ancient ritual dances of Tarbiat Jam and Tarbiat Heydarieh, once widely performed in Khorasan Province in Iran. The film also draws on the life of Farouk Kiyani, an influential character who has spent his life preserving these dances. “Afar” is a sign of creation that shows the harmony between water and wind and earth and sun in the growing season. In ancient Iran, these traditional dances and the ritual of Nowrooz — the Persian New Year — were also called “Afar” in this region. Afarideh gives us glimpses of these beautiful dances which, though very traditional, have the power to universally affect audiences through the expressive body language of the dancers and their harmony of movement.

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Hadi Afarideh Spotlight, featuring many films including:

The Afar • Directed by Hadi Afarideh • Iran

Iranian Pets Club • Directed by Hadi Afarideh • 2018 • Iran

The Nowrooz Maqam • Directed by Hadi Afarideh • Iran

This program is now live on Docunight. You can watch this program and all our other documentaries by becoming a member via docunight.com

#HadiAfarideh #HadiAfaridehSpotlight #TheAfar #IranianPetsClub #TheNowroozMaqam #NowShowing #OnDocunight #Iran #IranianCinema #IranianFilmmakers #IranianDocumentary

Double Feature: The Story of a Storyteller

Here the Seats Are Vacant • Directed by Shiva Sanjari • 2017 • Iran

The life of Iranian women who were working in the mainstream Iranian cinema changed drastically after the Islamic Revolution of 1979. These women use to get small roles or dance in these movies. But they were suddenly eliminated from the industry after the revolution.

Shahrzad was sold by her father when she was only 12 years old, and was forced to dance in a cabaret in Tehran. Years passed by and she became a famous actress and dancer. Eventually, Shahrzad appeared in many movies and received important awards and recognition for her work.

In 1977 Shahrzad directed her first movie and became the first female director in Iranian cinema. Two years later, the revolution changed the country and the Islamic government banned her from working in the movie industry, destroying her career and artistic future.

Almost 35 years have passed and now, Shahrzad is 72 years old. I found her in a small village in the rural parts of Iran. She is living in a very humble flat. Here in this small village, she went into hiding.

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Double Feature: The Story of a Storyteller

Shahrzaad’s Tale • Directed by Shahin Parhami • 2015 • Iran/Canada/Korea

Shahrzaad’s Tale is a documentary that subtly explores the tragic and miserable life of Shahrzaad (pseudonym of Kobra Sa'idi), an actress, poet, and film director who played a pioneering role in Iranian cinema before the Revolution of 1979. Having lost the comforts of her former life, she now lives in a dilapidated house in a remote village. However, the former actress never appears hopeless or weak in front of Parhami’s camera. The parallel editing of shots of modern-day Tehran with film footage from the 60’s showcasing Shahrzaad as an actress and dancer clearly illustrates Parhami’s sharp sense of style and storytelling. Parhami incorporates interviews with young woman artists and the legendary Iranian actors Pouri Banaie and Bahman Mofid, who once acted alongside Shahzaad. Her connection with and fondness for them are palpable and enhance the key moments of love and grief in the film.

Part of the double feature “The Story of a Storyteller”, now live on Docunight. You can watch this program and all our other documentaries by becoming a member via docunight.com

#DoubleFeature #TheStoryofaStoryteller #ShahrzaadsTale #ShahinParhami #Shahrzaad #HeretheSeatsAreVacant #ShivaSanjari #JustAdded #NowShowing #OnDocunight #IranianDocumentary #IranianCinema #Iran #IranianRevolution

Double Feature: The Story of a Storyteller

Shahrzad’s Tale • Directed by Shahin Parhami • 2015 • Iran/Canada/Korea

Here the Seats Are Vacant • Directed by Shiva Sanjari • 2017 • Iran

The double feature “The Story of a Storyteller” is now live on Docunight. You can watch this program and all our other documentaries by becoming a member via docunight.com

#DoubleFeature #TheStoryofaStoryteller #ShahrzadsTale #ShahinParhami #Shahrzad #HeretheSeatsAreVacant #ShivaSanjari #JustAdded #NowShowing #OnDocunight #IranianDocumentary #IranianCinema #Iran #IranianRevolution

Red Lipstick • Directed by Shiva Sanjari • 2018 • Iran

Marriage and being wanted by men are still a significant issue in Iranian patriarchal society. The meaning of beauty and its criteria is dramatically transformed in the past 40 years with mandatory hijab in the Islamic Revolution.

Masoumeh, a single 34-year-old hairdresser and owner of a small beauty salon in Tehran, shares intimate conversations with her clients, often reflective of the beauty standards and patriarchal pressures present in their lives. An independent business woman in a rigid society, Masoumeh weighs her own high expectations against the prospects of marriage while working to carve a path of her own.

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Face Reading • Directed by Hadi Afarideh • 2012 • Iran

Curtain Reading (Pardeh khani) is a type of Iranian traditional religious stage play rooted in Iranian story-teller culture & painting. Its history goes back to Iran's pre-Islam era. This art form is now dying with very few Curtain Readers around now.

The double feature “ The Book of Kings ” is now live on Docunight. You can watch this program and all our other documentaries by becoming a member via docunight.com

#DoubleFeatureTheBookOfKings #TheBookofKings #Shahname #JustAdded #NowShowing #OnDocunight #IranianDocumentary #IranianCinema #Iran #HadiAfarideh #TheStoryofGordafarid #Gordafarid #FaceReading #PardehKhani