This is a great opportunity to view films from Iran that are very
popular with teachers, and participate in a discussion session
following each film. Please contact The Outreach Center with any
questions!

*The details:*


The Center for Middle Eastern Studies at Harvard University invites you
to a film series by the internationally acclaimed Iranian filmmaker
Majid Majidi. This series will explore the role of 'Islam' in the
development of Iran's thriving cinema through short presentations and a
Q & A session following the film screenings.

All films are in Persian with English subtitles and will be shown at
Harvard's Center for Government and International Studies Building
(South) Room S010, in the Tsai Auditorium.

**For maps and parking information, see
http://cmes.hmdc.harvard.edu/outreach/about/map

BARAN

April 16 (Monday) 7pm

Iran, 2001 / 94 min
Written and Directed by Majid Majidi
Starring: Hossein Abedini, Zahra Bahrami, Mohammad Amir Naji

Released shortly after the US invasion of Afghanistan brought the
country into mainstream American consciousness, Baran is a
coming-of-age story set against a moving portrayal of the plight of
Afghan refugees in Iran. At a Tehran construction site, Latif, a brash
teenager, loses his position to a newly hired Afghan worker. Thoughts of
revenge turn to love when he discovers the worker is really a young
woman in disguise. Latif's quest for her affections lead to an emotional
and spiritual awakening. Baran won the /Grand Prix des Ameriques/ at the
Montreal World Film Festival among many other international awards.

Speaker: David Edwards, Williams College

David Edwards is a Professor of Anthropology at Williams College. He
lived in Kabul before the communist takeover in 1978. During the Soviet
occupation, he spent several years conducting research along the
Afghan-Pakistan border and spent time with mujahidin resistance
parties in training camps and behind Soviet lines. These experiences
became the basis of two books, Heroes of the Age: Moral Fault Lines on
the Afghan Frontier and Before Taliban: Genealogies of the Afghan
Jihad. Professor Edwards will, in addition to other topics, speak to
the plight of the Afghan refugees in the film.