WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:02.379 I want you to imagine, just for a second, a cultural 00:00:02.379 --> 00:00:06.500 bridge. But this bridge isn't made of steel or 00:00:06.500 --> 00:00:09.779 concrete. It is built entirely out of cinema. 00:00:10.039 --> 00:00:12.460 Oh, I like that. Right. Because think about how 00:00:12.460 --> 00:00:15.859 often our view of a different culture is squeezed 00:00:15.859 --> 00:00:19.320 through the, well, the incredibly narrow, often 00:00:19.320 --> 00:00:21.879 really stressful lens of the daily news cycle. 00:00:21.960 --> 00:00:23.899 Yeah, exactly. It could be so monolithic. And 00:00:23.899 --> 00:00:26.039 frankly, it just feels one dimensional most of 00:00:26.039 --> 00:00:29.309 the time. But today, we are looking at a stack 00:00:29.309 --> 00:00:32.689 of incredibly rich historical source material 00:00:32.689 --> 00:00:36.310 covering the programming, the history, the awards 00:00:36.310 --> 00:00:40.270 of an organization that really tried to bypass 00:00:40.270 --> 00:00:43.189 all of that. We're doing a deep dive into the 00:00:43.189 --> 00:00:45.840 Noor Iranian Film Festival. It really is a pleasure 00:00:45.840 --> 00:00:47.939 to be looking at this with you today. The documentation 00:00:47.939 --> 00:00:51.179 we have, it offers a remarkably detailed timeline 00:00:51.179 --> 00:00:53.320 of an organization that set out to do something 00:00:53.320 --> 00:00:56.259 very specific and honestly, logistically very 00:00:56.259 --> 00:00:58.219 challenging. Yeah, no kidding. Behind all the 00:00:58.219 --> 00:01:00.219 dates, the venues, the award winners in these 00:01:00.219 --> 00:01:02.420 sources, there's a very deliberate strategy. 00:01:02.700 --> 00:01:05.500 It's about how a culture reclaims its own narrative 00:01:05.500 --> 00:01:08.769 through art. Okay, let's unpack this. The mission 00:01:08.769 --> 00:01:11.409 of this deep dive is to explore how a single 00:01:11.409 --> 00:01:13.790 film festival, which started right in the heart 00:01:13.790 --> 00:01:17.230 of Los Angeles back in 2007, set out to challenge 00:01:17.230 --> 00:01:20.090 mainstream perceptions and really celebrate the 00:01:20.090 --> 00:01:22.709 sheer nuance of Iranian culture and heritage. 00:01:23.090 --> 00:01:25.250 What's fascinating here is the very name of the 00:01:25.250 --> 00:01:28.670 festival itself. Right, Noor. Exactly. The namesake 00:01:28.670 --> 00:01:31.049 comes from the word Noor, which is also spelled 00:01:31.049 --> 00:01:35.329 N -O -O -R. It simply means to shed light. To 00:01:35.329 --> 00:01:37.219 shed light. light i love that and the source 00:01:37.219 --> 00:01:39.420 material is very explicit about the founder's 00:01:39.420 --> 00:01:42.549 intentions here When Siamak Garamani and Anthony 00:01:42.549 --> 00:01:45.670 Azizi founded the festival in 2007, they established 00:01:45.670 --> 00:01:49.230 it as a nonprofit, non -religious and non -political 00:01:49.230 --> 00:01:51.750 organization. Which is a huge distinction to 00:01:51.750 --> 00:01:53.689 make right out of the gate. It is. The goal was 00:01:53.689 --> 00:01:56.150 to counter common media misperceptions using 00:01:56.150 --> 00:01:59.810 that light, using the medium of film to illuminate 00:01:59.810 --> 00:02:02.150 a much more complex reality than, you know, what 00:02:02.150 --> 00:02:04.109 you might see on the evening news. So looking 00:02:04.109 --> 00:02:05.909 at how they actually built this foundation, I 00:02:05.909 --> 00:02:08.110 noticed the venues they secured right away. The 00:02:08.110 --> 00:02:11.060 initial footprint. Yeah, exactly. They are screening 00:02:11.060 --> 00:02:13.060 at the James Bridges Theater on the UCLA campus, 00:02:13.500 --> 00:02:17.060 Lamley's Music Hall 3 in Beverly Hills, and the 00:02:17.060 --> 00:02:20.879 Skirball Cultural Center. I have to ask, for 00:02:20.879 --> 00:02:24.560 a startup cultural festival in 2007, was it normal 00:02:24.560 --> 00:02:27.560 to swing for the fences with venues like that? 00:02:27.849 --> 00:02:30.569 Not at all. I mean, it is incredibly expensive 00:02:30.569 --> 00:02:33.250 and highly competitive to secure those kinds 00:02:33.250 --> 00:02:35.090 of institutional spaces in Los Angeles. Right. 00:02:35.129 --> 00:02:37.590 The film capital of the world. Exactly. But it 00:02:37.590 --> 00:02:39.729 was a necessary strategic move. They weren't 00:02:39.729 --> 00:02:43.449 just trying to host a modest community gathering 00:02:43.449 --> 00:02:46.069 in a rec hall. They wanted to plant a flag right 00:02:46.069 --> 00:02:48.330 in the mainstream Hollywood ecosystem. They wanted 00:02:48.330 --> 00:02:51.310 to be seen. Yes. But what is equally important 00:02:51.310 --> 00:02:53.069 to note from the sources is that they didn't 00:02:53.069 --> 00:02:55.550 just stay in Los Angeles. Right. So they built 00:02:55.550 --> 00:02:57.090 this whole touring program. They took the films. 00:02:57.199 --> 00:02:59.639 out to San Diego, San Francisco, Seattle, Washington, 00:02:59.659 --> 00:03:02.680 D .T. and Daytona Beach. Yep. Daytona Beach really 00:03:02.680 --> 00:03:05.219 stood out to me. Yep. What is the strategy behind 00:03:05.219 --> 00:03:07.840 taking a highly specific Iranian film festival 00:03:07.840 --> 00:03:11.139 to places completely outside of the major coastal 00:03:11.139 --> 00:03:13.139 entertainment hubs? It is about breaking out 00:03:13.139 --> 00:03:15.520 of the echo chamber. If you only screen these 00:03:15.520 --> 00:03:19.870 films in Los Angeles or New York. You are largely 00:03:19.870 --> 00:03:22.250 preaching to the choir. Because the audiences 00:03:22.250 --> 00:03:24.830 there are already used to global cinema. Precisely. 00:03:24.830 --> 00:03:27.960 Or they're part of the diaspora themselves. By 00:03:27.960 --> 00:03:30.280 physically packing up the festival and bringing 00:03:30.280 --> 00:03:33.159 it to places like Daytona Beach, they were actively 00:03:33.159 --> 00:03:35.800 taking this cultural representation to audiences 00:03:35.800 --> 00:03:39.000 who might not otherwise have any access to independent, 00:03:39.360 --> 00:03:42.659 culturally specific cinema in their local theaters. 00:03:42.939 --> 00:03:45.919 It's a much more proactive form of cultural ambassadorship. 00:03:46.180 --> 00:03:47.939 That's a great way to put it. You bring the bridge 00:03:47.939 --> 00:03:49.879 to the people rather than asking them to find 00:03:49.879 --> 00:03:52.120 it. Exactly. Now, as I was reading through the 00:03:52.120 --> 00:03:53.939 source material, I noticed something else about 00:03:53.939 --> 00:03:56.259 their strategy that I really want your take on. 00:03:56.560 --> 00:03:59.240 It's regarding their submission guidelines. Ah, 00:03:59.439 --> 00:04:03.280 yes. The inclusion criteria. Yeah. Because I 00:04:03.280 --> 00:04:05.360 assumed a festival like this would have incredibly 00:04:05.360 --> 00:04:08.340 rigid rules about what qualifies as an Iranian 00:04:08.340 --> 00:04:11.479 film. But looking at this as a film qualifies, 00:04:11.500 --> 00:04:14.530 even if just the sound designer is Iranian. Yes. 00:04:14.590 --> 00:04:16.329 Or one of the supporting actors. How does that 00:04:16.329 --> 00:04:18.589 even work in practice? That is actually one of 00:04:18.589 --> 00:04:21.370 the most brilliant structural decisions the organizers 00:04:21.370 --> 00:04:24.290 made. Really? Oh, absolutely. When a festival 00:04:24.290 --> 00:04:26.689 explicitly states that a film doesn't have to 00:04:26.689 --> 00:04:30.029 be shot in Iran or directed by an Iranian or 00:04:30.029 --> 00:04:32.509 even be about Iranian culture to be included. 00:04:32.790 --> 00:04:35.430 Right. When they say you can participate simply 00:04:35.430 --> 00:04:37.829 if your cinematographer happens to be of Iranian 00:04:37.829 --> 00:04:40.930 descent, they are fundamentally broadening the 00:04:40.930 --> 00:04:43.569 scope of what constitutes cultural representation. 00:04:44.629 --> 00:04:47.470 So it's less about building a walled garden of 00:04:47.470 --> 00:04:50.670 purely Iranian stories and more about highlighting 00:04:50.670 --> 00:04:53.129 the actual footprint of these artists in the 00:04:53.129 --> 00:04:56.110 real world. Precisely. It acknowledges that culture 00:04:56.110 --> 00:04:59.329 doesn't exist in a vacuum. By accepting a mainstream 00:04:59.329 --> 00:05:02.149 sci -fi film or an American indie drama just 00:05:02.149 --> 00:05:04.069 because an Iranian professional was part of the 00:05:04.069 --> 00:05:06.750 crew, the festival highlights the integration 00:05:06.750 --> 00:05:10.089 of this talent within the broader global film 00:05:10.089 --> 00:05:12.529 industry. It proves that this community is woven 00:05:12.529 --> 00:05:14.949 into the fabric of cinema everywhere. Exactly. 00:05:14.949 --> 00:05:16.670 It's a totally different way of looking at a 00:05:16.670 --> 00:05:19.399 national cinema. OK, so looking at the historical 00:05:19.399 --> 00:05:21.740 timeline in our sources, they build all this 00:05:21.740 --> 00:05:24.620 momentum from 2007 onward, touring and expanding. 00:05:24.740 --> 00:05:27.779 But then you hit 2010 and the timeline just it 00:05:27.779 --> 00:05:32.079 just stops. Yes. The 2010 hiatus. There is a 00:05:32.079 --> 00:05:34.180 complete blank space for that year before they 00:05:34.180 --> 00:05:36.600 pick up again in 2011. The source material provides 00:05:36.600 --> 00:05:39.740 two distinct reasons for this pause, and it serves 00:05:39.740 --> 00:05:42.100 as a good reminder of how deeply interconnected 00:05:42.100 --> 00:05:44.680 arts organizations are with the outside world. 00:05:44.779 --> 00:05:47.529 Right. The first reason provided was out of respect 00:05:47.529 --> 00:05:50.290 for the people of Iran, directly stemming from 00:05:50.290 --> 00:05:52.509 the political uprising that occurred in the country 00:05:52.509 --> 00:05:55.430 in 2010. The organizers felt it was appropriate 00:05:55.430 --> 00:05:57.889 to step back during that highly sensitive period. 00:05:58.170 --> 00:06:00.069 And the second reason? The second reason highlights 00:06:00.069 --> 00:06:02.829 the pragmatic, often fragile reality of running 00:06:02.829 --> 00:06:05.529 a non -profit arts organization. The funding. 00:06:05.750 --> 00:06:08.550 Exactly. The sources note a lack of sponsorship 00:06:08.550 --> 00:06:10.870 and seed money available for the festival that 00:06:10.870 --> 00:06:13.180 year. It's a stark reality check. You can have 00:06:13.180 --> 00:06:15.540 the best intentions and the most profound artistic 00:06:15.540 --> 00:06:18.939 mission, but if the funding dries up or global 00:06:18.939 --> 00:06:21.339 events shift the ground under your feet, the 00:06:21.339 --> 00:06:24.120 projector turns off. It does. How hard is it 00:06:24.120 --> 00:06:26.459 for an independent festival to bounce back from 00:06:26.459 --> 00:06:30.819 a full year of going dark like that? It is notoriously 00:06:30.819 --> 00:06:33.160 difficult. When you lose your annual momentum, 00:06:33.279 --> 00:06:35.800 you risk losing your audience, your venue relationship. 00:06:36.079 --> 00:06:38.199 Your press coverage. Everything. To come back 00:06:38.199 --> 00:06:41.079 from a hiatus, an organization has to ensure 00:06:41.079 --> 00:06:44.180 that their programming is absolutely undeniable 00:06:44.180 --> 00:06:46.959 upon their return. They need a splash. Right. 00:06:47.019 --> 00:06:48.860 And they need to validate that programming with 00:06:48.860 --> 00:06:51.680 serious industry weight, which is exactly what 00:06:51.680 --> 00:06:53.860 we see them do when we look at who they invited 00:06:53.860 --> 00:06:56.379 to judge these films. Here's where it gets really 00:06:56.379 --> 00:06:59.480 interesting. Because... I was looking at the 00:06:59.480 --> 00:07:02.139 lists of jury members over the years, and it 00:07:02.139 --> 00:07:05.040 is a wild mix of people. It truly is. You have 00:07:05.040 --> 00:07:07.939 exactly who you would expect and hope to see, 00:07:08.060 --> 00:07:12.160 major Iranian -American stars. People like the 00:07:12.160 --> 00:07:15.019 Oscar -nominated actress Shoray Aghdashloo. Incredible 00:07:15.019 --> 00:07:18.319 talent. The comedian Maz Jabrani and Navid Nagoban, 00:07:18.339 --> 00:07:20.339 who many of you might know from the show Homeland. 00:07:20.740 --> 00:07:22.819 Which is exactly the kind of cultural expertise 00:07:22.819 --> 00:07:24.819 and representation you want anchoring the jury. 00:07:25.310 --> 00:07:28.089 Absolutely. But then right alongside them, you 00:07:28.089 --> 00:07:30.709 have these completely unexpected Hollywood figures. 00:07:30.769 --> 00:07:34.050 Yes. I am looking at the list and seeing Rainn 00:07:34.050 --> 00:07:37.509 Wilson from The Office, Corey Feldman, Natasha 00:07:37.509 --> 00:07:40.970 Henstridge, Dennis Haysbert. It's quite the lineup. 00:07:41.189 --> 00:07:43.329 So if your goal is to shed light on a highly 00:07:43.329 --> 00:07:46.430 specific culture, what is the strategy behind 00:07:46.430 --> 00:07:49.189 putting Corey Feldman and Rainn Wilson in the 00:07:49.189 --> 00:07:52.329 jury room? Synthesizing this list of names, the 00:07:52.329 --> 00:07:55.649 strategy becomes very clear. They were fiercely 00:07:55.649 --> 00:07:57.790 determined to avoid that echo chamber we talked 00:07:57.790 --> 00:08:00.069 about earlier. Okay, bringing outsiders in. Exactly. 00:08:00.170 --> 00:08:02.870 If you only show the films to people who already 00:08:02.870 --> 00:08:05.709 understand the nuances of the culture, the conversation 00:08:05.709 --> 00:08:08.779 stays entirely internal. Right. By bringing in 00:08:08.779 --> 00:08:10.980 prominent Hollywood actors who sit outside that 00:08:10.980 --> 00:08:13.620 specific cultural background, the festival is 00:08:13.620 --> 00:08:16.199 creating a cross -cultural dialogue at its very 00:08:16.199 --> 00:08:18.220 core. That makes a lot of sense. Think about 00:08:18.220 --> 00:08:20.720 the dynamics of that jury room. You have Rainn 00:08:20.720 --> 00:08:23.199 Wilson or Dennis Haysbert evaluating these films 00:08:23.199 --> 00:08:26.279 alongside an icon like Shorah Aghdashloo. That 00:08:26.279 --> 00:08:28.740 means that the deliberations themselves are bridging 00:08:28.740 --> 00:08:31.560 cultural gaps. Oh, wow. It validates the cinema 00:08:31.560 --> 00:08:34.220 on a global, industry -wide level, proving these 00:08:34.220 --> 00:08:36.639 aren't just great Iranian films. They are great 00:08:36.639 --> 00:08:39.159 films. Period. So if you have that incredibly 00:08:39.159 --> 00:08:41.820 diverse mix of industry veterans in the same 00:08:41.820 --> 00:08:44.840 room, what kind of movies are they actually voting 00:08:44.840 --> 00:08:47.460 for? Let's get into the actual awards and the 00:08:47.460 --> 00:08:50.000 filmmakers who emerged from this. The awards 00:08:50.000 --> 00:08:51.919 structure detailed in the sources is essentially 00:08:51.919 --> 00:08:54.899 divided into two categories. The honorary awards 00:08:54.899 --> 00:08:57.200 for lifetime achievement and the competitive 00:08:57.200 --> 00:08:59.240 awards for the film screening at the festival. 00:08:59.460 --> 00:09:01.059 Let's start with a lifetime achievement side. 00:09:01.240 --> 00:09:06.070 In 2009, the recipient was Reza Bedi. Yes. And 00:09:06.070 --> 00:09:09.210 what stood out to me is that by 2013, the festival 00:09:09.210 --> 00:09:11.909 actually renamed the entire award after him. 00:09:11.970 --> 00:09:14.450 It became the Reza Badi Achievement Award. A 00:09:14.450 --> 00:09:16.509 huge honor. For those of you who might not know 00:09:16.509 --> 00:09:19.350 his background, why was his impact so significant 00:09:19.350 --> 00:09:21.720 that they named the trophy after him? Reza Bedi 00:09:21.720 --> 00:09:24.019 is a fascinating figure in Hollywood history. 00:09:24.200 --> 00:09:27.279 He was a massively prolific television director. 00:09:27.340 --> 00:09:30.399 Also talking decades of TV, right? Decades. He 00:09:30.399 --> 00:09:33.539 directed episodes of absolute cultural touchstones. 00:09:33.700 --> 00:09:37.100 Shows like Mission Impossible, Hawaii Five -O, 00:09:37.320 --> 00:09:40.620 The Mary Tyler Moore Show, and Star Trek, Deep 00:09:40.620 --> 00:09:43.200 Space Nine. That is basically the DNA of American 00:09:43.200 --> 00:09:46.299 television. Exactly. By maintaining such a significant, 00:09:46.480 --> 00:09:49.039 sustained career in mainstream American television 00:09:49.039 --> 00:09:52.360 as an Iranian born director, he broke immense 00:09:52.360 --> 00:09:55.600 barriers long before conversations about diversity 00:09:55.600 --> 00:09:58.039 and representation were commonplace in the industry. 00:09:58.200 --> 00:10:01.059 So naming the award after him. It was a profound 00:10:01.059 --> 00:10:03.700 gesture of institutional memory by the festival. 00:10:04.080 --> 00:10:06.539 They wanted to cement his legacy. And they also 00:10:06.539 --> 00:10:08.879 honored other major barrier breakers over the 00:10:08.879 --> 00:10:11.700 years. I saw the producer Bob Yari, who produced 00:10:11.700 --> 00:10:14.080 the Oscar -winning film Crash, and the actor 00:10:14.080 --> 00:10:16.340 Sean Toob, who you definitely recognize from 00:10:16.340 --> 00:10:18.139 Iron Man and Homeland. It's a great way to map 00:10:18.139 --> 00:10:20.700 the lineage of this talent in Hollywood. It really 00:10:20.700 --> 00:10:23.059 is. But shifting to the competitive film awards, 00:10:23.179 --> 00:10:25.100 looking through the historical data year by year, 00:10:25.259 --> 00:10:27.500 something really specific caught my eye. Oh, 00:10:27.600 --> 00:10:29.600 what's that? There were certain years that were 00:10:29.600 --> 00:10:31.700 completely dominated by a single piece of work. 00:10:31.840 --> 00:10:34.019 You can really see when a film just possessed 00:10:34.019 --> 00:10:36.519 the room. We definitely see that phenomenon clearly 00:10:36.519 --> 00:10:40.580 in the 2008 festival. Yes. In 2008, a film called 00:10:40.580 --> 00:10:44.360 BAM 6 .6 by Jahangir Golestan absolutely swept 00:10:44.360 --> 00:10:47.039 the major categories. It took home Best Story, 00:10:47.240 --> 00:10:50.000 Best Documentary, and Best Director all in one 00:10:50.000 --> 00:10:52.279 go. And if we look at the context of that specific 00:10:52.279 --> 00:10:54.860 film, it makes perfect sense why it resonated 00:10:54.860 --> 00:10:57.700 so powerfully with that diverse jury. Tell me 00:10:57.700 --> 00:11:01.139 about it. BAM 6 .6 is a documentary about the 00:11:01.139 --> 00:11:03.799 devastating 2003 earthquake that struck the ancient 00:11:03.799 --> 00:11:06.960 Iranian city of BAM. But it focuses on a very 00:11:06.960 --> 00:11:09.519 specific narrative, an American tourist who was 00:11:09.519 --> 00:11:11.840 trapped in the rubble and the local Iranians 00:11:11.840 --> 00:11:14.500 who risked their lives to save him. Wow. So you 00:11:14.500 --> 00:11:17.059 have a film that is literally about a cross -cultural 00:11:17.059 --> 00:11:19.840 rescue operation. born out of immense tragedy. 00:11:20.039 --> 00:11:22.820 You can instantly see why a jury composed of 00:11:22.820 --> 00:11:24.919 both Iranian -American artists and Hollywood 00:11:24.919 --> 00:11:27.679 outsiders would collectively recognize the emotional 00:11:27.679 --> 00:11:30.220 weight of that story. It perfectly embodies the 00:11:30.220 --> 00:11:32.100 bridging of worlds that the festival was aiming 00:11:32.100 --> 00:11:34.279 for. And the sweeps didn't stop there. According 00:11:34.279 --> 00:11:35.740 to the outline of the history, the very next 00:11:35.740 --> 00:11:39.360 year, in 2009, Faramar's robber's film, Donkey 00:11:39.360 --> 00:11:42.480 in Lahore, did something similar. Yes. Donkey 00:11:42.480 --> 00:11:45.200 in Lahore took audience favorite, best documentary, 00:11:45.379 --> 00:11:48.259 and best director. which shows a consistent pattern 00:11:48.259 --> 00:11:50.419 of documentaries really holding their own at 00:11:50.419 --> 00:11:52.980 this festival. But then we see another massive 00:11:52.980 --> 00:11:55.259 sweep happen right after the festival returned 00:11:55.259 --> 00:11:58.320 from its 2010 hiatus. Right, the 2011 return. 00:11:58.639 --> 00:12:01.960 In 2011, Mariam Keshavarz's film Circumstance 00:12:01.960 --> 00:12:05.419 just swept the board. It won Audience Favorite, 00:12:05.639 --> 00:12:08.539 Best Director, and secured Best Actress for Nicol 00:12:08.539 --> 00:12:10.700 Boucherie. Circumstance was such a groundbreaking 00:12:10.700 --> 00:12:13.480 film when it came out. It really was. It explores 00:12:13.480 --> 00:12:16.159 the underground youth culture in Tehran. focusing 00:12:16.159 --> 00:12:19.039 on two teenage girls navigating their identities 00:12:19.039 --> 00:12:21.480 and desires in a highly restrictive environment. 00:12:22.090 --> 00:12:24.789 It is a very tense, very intimate movie. It is. 00:12:24.870 --> 00:12:27.230 And from an analytical perspective, when a film 00:12:27.230 --> 00:12:29.509 like Circumstance wins both the director's prize 00:12:29.509 --> 00:12:31.669 from the professional jury and the audience favored 00:12:31.669 --> 00:12:35.149 award, it indicates a rare, powerful alignment. 00:12:35.350 --> 00:12:38.210 A consensus. Precisely. It means the film achieved 00:12:38.210 --> 00:12:40.409 high artistic and technical merit in the eyes 00:12:40.409 --> 00:12:42.509 of the industry veterans, while simultaneously 00:12:42.509 --> 00:12:45.250 striking a deep, authentic, emotional chord with 00:12:45.250 --> 00:12:47.809 the general public. It's the sweet spot every 00:12:47.809 --> 00:12:50.860 filmmaker is aiming for. Absolutely. But beyond 00:12:50.860 --> 00:12:53.580 the films that swept, the source material also 00:12:53.580 --> 00:12:56.840 acts as this incredible archival treasure map 00:12:56.840 --> 00:13:00.080 for early talent. There are names on these winner 00:13:00.080 --> 00:13:02.460 lists that anyone who follows contemporary independent 00:13:02.460 --> 00:13:05.960 cinema will immediately recognize. The 2012 awards 00:13:05.960 --> 00:13:08.659 list is a perfect example of this. That year, 00:13:08.700 --> 00:13:11.139 the award for best short film went to Anna Lily 00:13:11.139 --> 00:13:13.299 Amirpour. For A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night. 00:13:13.759 --> 00:13:16.019 Precisely. And in that same year, she also won 00:13:16.019 --> 00:13:18.200 best short film director for another project 00:13:18.200 --> 00:13:20.769 called Pashmaloo. For you listening. If you are 00:13:20.769 --> 00:13:23.389 a fan of indie film, seeing a girl walks home 00:13:23.389 --> 00:13:25.509 alone at night winning a short film award in 00:13:25.509 --> 00:13:29.070 2012 is a huge archival find. It really is. She 00:13:29.070 --> 00:13:31.129 later adapted that short into a feature film 00:13:31.129 --> 00:13:33.370 that was famously billed as the first Iranian 00:13:33.370 --> 00:13:36.330 vampire western, and it became a massive cult 00:13:36.330 --> 00:13:39.029 hit. Seeing it recognized here in its early stages 00:13:39.029 --> 00:13:41.809 is like finding a rare demo tape of a band before 00:13:41.809 --> 00:13:44.139 they exploded. That's a great comparison. It 00:13:44.139 --> 00:13:46.440 really highlights the festival's ability to spot 00:13:46.440 --> 00:13:49.700 and elevate undeniable talent early on. And the 00:13:49.700 --> 00:13:51.720 pedigree of the programming is further reinforced 00:13:51.720 --> 00:13:54.980 the very next year. Yes, in 2013. Right. In 2013, 00:13:55.179 --> 00:13:57.759 the award for Best Feature Film Director went 00:13:57.759 --> 00:14:00.659 to Marjane Satrapi alongside Vincent Paranod 00:14:00.659 --> 00:14:03.600 for their film Chicken with Plums. Satrapi, of 00:14:03.600 --> 00:14:05.519 course, is the globally recognized creator of 00:14:05.519 --> 00:14:08.139 the graphic novel and film Persepolis. A giant 00:14:08.139 --> 00:14:10.899 in the industry. Exactly. Her presence in the 00:14:10.899 --> 00:14:12.960 festival's history proves... that this wasn't 00:14:12.960 --> 00:14:15.899 just a platform for emerging voices. It was screening 00:14:15.899 --> 00:14:19.340 and honoring world -class established cinema. 00:14:19.600 --> 00:14:22.320 So what does this all mean? We've traced this 00:14:22.320 --> 00:14:24.740 incredible timeline, the ambition of the early 00:14:24.740 --> 00:14:27.320 venues, the strategic touring to places like 00:14:27.320 --> 00:14:29.720 Daytona Beach, the radically inclusive submission 00:14:29.720 --> 00:14:32.440 guidelines, and the way a wildly diverse jury 00:14:32.440 --> 00:14:35.919 validated these very specific, powerful stories. 00:14:36.120 --> 00:14:39.039 It's quite the journey. It is. As an audience 00:14:39.039 --> 00:14:40.899 that already cares deeply about the mechanics 00:14:40.899 --> 00:14:43.860 of film and independent art this historical data 00:14:43.860 --> 00:14:47.659 offers us a highly successful blueprint. It proves 00:14:47.659 --> 00:14:49.919 that when an organization strategically combines 00:14:49.919 --> 00:14:53.059 inclusivity with high artistic standards they 00:14:53.059 --> 00:14:56.259 don't just host a nice event. They actively reshape 00:14:56.259 --> 00:14:59.360 how an entire demographic is integrated into 00:14:59.360 --> 00:15:01.759 the global entertainment industry. If we connect 00:15:01.759 --> 00:15:04.259 this to the bigger picture, it is a masterclass 00:15:04.259 --> 00:15:06.700 in the application of cultural capital. Okay. 00:15:06.759 --> 00:15:09.019 Say more about that. Well, the founders of the 00:15:09.019 --> 00:15:11.559 Noor Iranian Film Festival identified a massive 00:15:11.559 --> 00:15:13.899 gap between how a culture was being portrayed 00:15:13.899 --> 00:15:15.960 and what that culture was actually producing. 00:15:15.960 --> 00:15:18.960 The news versus reality. Exactly. They built 00:15:18.960 --> 00:15:21.840 a literal infrastructure, securing the theaters, 00:15:22.100 --> 00:15:24.519 organizing the juries, flying the films across 00:15:24.519 --> 00:15:26.639 the country to correct that record. They took 00:15:26.639 --> 00:15:28.960 their namesake, light, and applied it systematically 00:15:28.960 --> 00:15:31.610 to create a new history. historical archive of 00:15:31.610 --> 00:15:33.830 artistic achievement. It completely changes how 00:15:33.830 --> 00:15:35.990 you look at the life cycle of a film, from a 00:15:35.990 --> 00:15:38.730 small festival screening to the broader cultural 00:15:38.730 --> 00:15:41.509 consciousness. It does. And looking back at their 00:15:41.509 --> 00:15:43.929 foundational strategies, particularly those submission 00:15:43.929 --> 00:15:46.330 guidelines we talked about, this raises an important 00:15:46.330 --> 00:15:48.350 question for us to consider today. What's that? 00:15:48.529 --> 00:15:51.029 As we discussed, the festival allowed a film 00:15:51.029 --> 00:15:53.590 to be included merely if an Iranian was part 00:15:53.590 --> 00:15:56.549 of the crew, say, a sound designer or an editor. 00:15:57.179 --> 00:15:59.700 As the film industry becomes increasingly rapidly 00:15:59.700 --> 00:16:02.539 globalized, where exactly do we draw the line 00:16:02.539 --> 00:16:05.440 between a national cinema and a global cinema? 00:16:05.700 --> 00:16:08.580 Oh, that is a fascinating gray area. Right. If 00:16:08.580 --> 00:16:10.860 a film is shot in Los Angeles, directed by an 00:16:10.860 --> 00:16:13.480 American starring British actors, but features 00:16:13.480 --> 00:16:16.399 an Iranian cinematographer. How does that subtly 00:16:16.399 --> 00:16:18.899 change the DNA of the art? That's a great point. 00:16:19.019 --> 00:16:21.620 Does the cultural heritage, the specific visual 00:16:21.620 --> 00:16:24.039 language or sonic sensibilities of a single crew 00:16:24.039 --> 00:16:27.039 member bleed into the final product in ways the 00:16:27.039 --> 00:16:29.779 audience might not consciously register? And 00:16:29.779 --> 00:16:32.000 if it does, what does that mean for how we define 00:16:32.000 --> 00:16:34.539 the boundaries of any specific culture's cinema 00:16:34.539 --> 00:16:37.379 in the 21st century? That is something to really 00:16:37.379 --> 00:16:39.879 chew on. It makes you want to go pull up the 00:16:39.879 --> 00:16:42.740 credits of your own favorite films and look a 00:16:42.740 --> 00:16:44.860 little closer at the names that actually built. 00:16:44.909 --> 00:16:47.190 the world you're watching. Highly recommend doing 00:16:47.190 --> 00:16:50.490 that. There is so much unseen cross -cultural 00:16:50.490 --> 00:16:53.269 collaboration happening right there on the screen. 00:16:53.389 --> 00:16:55.970 It is a brilliant thought to end on. Thank you 00:16:55.970 --> 00:16:57.789 so much for joining us for this deep dive. Thanks 00:16:57.789 --> 00:16:59.870 for having me. Keep looking closely at the credits 00:16:59.870 --> 00:17:02.129 and we will catch you next time.