Iranian-Kurdish director Bahman Ghobadi's NO ONE KNOWS ABOUT PERSIAN CATS
Press release
NO ONE KNOWS ABOUT
PERSIAN CATS
Directed by Bahman Ghobadi
Opens in NYC on Friday, April 16, 2010 at the Lincoln Plaza Cinemas and IFC Center
NO ONE KNOWS ABOUT PERSIAN CATS, the fifth feature by celebrated Iranian-Kurdish director Bahman Ghobadi (A TIME FOR DRUNKEN HORSES, TURTLES CAN FLY). A vibrant and eye-opening look at Tehran’s underground indie music scene, the film was co-written by Iranian-American journalist Roxana Saberi, and was the winner of the Un Certain Regard Special Jury Prize at the 2009 Cannes Film Festival.
NO ONE KNOWS ABOUT PERSIAN CATS will open in New York on Friday, April 16 at the Lincoln Plaza Cinemas and IFC Center, with a national roll-out to follow. It will simultaneously be available nationwide on IFC Films’ video on demand platform, available to over 50 million homes in all major markets.
The soundtrack album will be released through Milan Records on April 13. The Film Society of Lincoln Center will also be presenting a special 5-film mid-career retrospective of Ghobadi’s work on April 14 and 15 at the Walter Reade Theater.
PERSIAN CATS follows young singer Negar and her musician boyfriend Ashkan, who attempt to form a rock band after being released from prison. Forbidden by the authorities to play in Iran, and dreaming of performing in Europe, they plan their escape.
The necessary paperwork proves impossible to come by legitimately, so they team up with Nader, a fast-talking music promoter, who may be able to provide the connections they need. With passports and visas being made to order, the trio trawl the Tehran underworld, listening to local rockers, metal-heads, rappers, singer-songwriters, musicians of every sort—all of whom will go to any length to perform their music.
But with deadlines looming and authorities on their heels, Negar and Ashkan’s hopes of completing their mission may soon be shattered.
Shot in secret over 17 days and featuring extraordinary performances by real underground musicians (it’s estimated there are 2,000 illegal bands in Tehran), NO ONE KNOWS ABOUT PERSIAN CATS is both a serenade to and an indictment of Ghobadi’s former hometown and a vital celebration of an entire generation of Iranians striving towards personal and creative freedom.
101 minutes. In Farsi with English subtitles.
An IFC Films release. Unrated.
NO ONE KNOWS ABOUT
PERSIAN CATS
Directed by Bahman Ghobadi
Opens in NYC on Friday, April 16, 2010 at the Lincoln Plaza Cinemas and IFC Center
NO ONE KNOWS ABOUT PERSIAN CATS, the fifth feature by celebrated Iranian-Kurdish director Bahman Ghobadi (A TIME FOR DRUNKEN HORSES, TURTLES CAN FLY). A vibrant and eye-opening look at Tehran’s underground indie music scene, the film was co-written by Iranian-American journalist Roxana Saberi, and was the winner of the Un Certain Regard Special Jury Prize at the 2009 Cannes Film Festival.
NO ONE KNOWS ABOUT PERSIAN CATS will open in New York on Friday, April 16 at the Lincoln Plaza Cinemas and IFC Center, with a national roll-out to follow. It will simultaneously be available nationwide on IFC Films’ video on demand platform, available to over 50 million homes in all major markets.
The soundtrack album will be released through Milan Records on April 13. The Film Society of Lincoln Center will also be presenting a special 5-film mid-career retrospective of Ghobadi’s work on April 14 and 15 at the Walter Reade Theater.
PERSIAN CATS follows young singer Negar and her musician boyfriend Ashkan, who attempt to form a rock band after being released from prison. Forbidden by the authorities to play in Iran, and dreaming of performing in Europe, they plan their escape.
The necessary paperwork proves impossible to come by legitimately, so they team up with Nader, a fast-talking music promoter, who may be able to provide the connections they need. With passports and visas being made to order, the trio trawl the Tehran underworld, listening to local rockers, metal-heads, rappers, singer-songwriters, musicians of every sort—all of whom will go to any length to perform their music.
But with deadlines looming and authorities on their heels, Negar and Ashkan’s hopes of completing their mission may soon be shattered.
Shot in secret over 17 days and featuring extraordinary performances by real underground musicians (it’s estimated there are 2,000 illegal bands in Tehran), NO ONE KNOWS ABOUT PERSIAN CATS is both a serenade to and an indictment of Ghobadi’s former hometown and a vital celebration of an entire generation of Iranians striving towards personal and creative freedom.
101 minutes. In Farsi with English subtitles.
An IFC Films release. Unrated.