Celebrate the return of the Boston Festival of Films from Iran with three new releases and a restored gem of the Iranian New Wave. The Apple Day is a sympathetic look at the hardships of a family who never gives up on each other. The true story of a serial killer, Holy Spider offers a distinct perspective on systemic misogyny. The documentary This is Not Me follows two trans men as they navigate the Iranian legal system to get approval for gender-affirming surgery. And The Runner—presented here in a new restoration—is a gorgeous, synth-laden, coming-of-age tale from 1984, with one of cinema's greatest child performances.

Whether you're a lover of Iranian film or want to learn more about the region's current political climate and rich cinematic history, you won't want to miss the Boston Festival of Films from Iran.

All films are in Farsi with English subtitles.

Schedule of Events

January 26, 2023

7:00 pm-8:30 pm: The Apple Day

Directed by Mahmoud Ghaffari (Iran, 2022, 80 min.).

Far from their home village in the mountains of Iran, a boy named Saeed and his family are starting over in the city. Saeed's father makes a living selling apples from his truck, while his mother runs a laundry business out of their small apartment. On the first day of school, Saeed's little brother is tasked with bringing enough apples for his entire class, an assignment that becomes difficult when the family truck is stolen, causing Saeed's father to lose his job. With themes of morality under poverty reminiscent of De Sica's Bicycle Thieves and Hirokazu Kore-eda's Shoplifters, Ghaffari's film is a sympathetic look at the hardships of a family who never gives up hope—or gives up on each other.

January 27, 2023

7:00 pm-9:00 pm: Holy Spider

Directed by Ali Abbasi (Denmark, Germany, Sweden, and France, 2022, 116 min.).

From visionary director Ali Abbasi (Border) comes the disturbing true story of the Spider Killer, who preyed on sex workers in the holy Iranian city of Mashhad in an effort to "cleanse" it of sinners. The film follows a journalist named Rahimi—played by Zar Amir Ebrahimi in a career-defining performance that won her the Best Actress award at Cannes— as she investigates the killings.

Abbasi, an Iranian expat living in Denmark, says the film is about more than one man's misogyny: "My intention was not to make a serial killer movie. I wanted to make a movie about a serial killer society. It is about the deep-rooted misogyny within Iranian society, which is not specifically religious or political but cultural" (quoted in FilmInk). Shot before Mahsa Amini's murder and the uprising that has confronted the world with the Islamic Republic's brutality toward women, Holy Spider takes on new meaning against the backdrop of these events.

Holy Spider competed for the Palme d'Or at the 2022 Cannes Film Festival, and has been selected as the Danish entry for Best International Feature Film at the 95th Academy Awards.

January 28, 2023

1:00 pm-2:15 pm: This Is Not Me

Directed by Saeed Gholipour (Iran, 2022, 71 min.).

Iran is the only Muslim country in the Persian Gulf that allows trans people to have their true gender identity recognized by the law; any other LGBQ+ identity is banned. Individuals must undergo gender-affirming surgery to gain legal recognition, and the obstacles to approval for that surgery are oppressive and degrading, including virginity tests and a requirement for parental assent—even for adults. In this documentary, 16-year-old Shervin and 27-year-old Saman offer a glimpse into what life is like for young trans men who, despite being blessed with loving and supportive parents, are forced to live covert lives, and even consider emigration so they can freely be their true selves. As the world watches the Women, Life, Freedom movement igniting Iran's streets, This is Not Me reminds us of the queer voices who must also be included in the conversation.

3:00 pm-4:30 pm: The Runner

Directed by Amir Naderi (Iran, 1984, 94 min.).

Witness the first-ever restoration of this gem of the Iranian New Wave, with a bright synth soundtrack and one of the greatest child performances in cinema history. Living alone in an abandoned tanker in the Iranian port city of Abadan, an illiterate 11-year-old orphan (Madjid Niroumand) survives by shining shoes, selling water, and diving for deposit bottles. He's bullied by both adults and competing older kids, but he finds solace in dreams about departing cargo ships and airplanes—and by running, seemingly to nowhere.

Often compared to Truffaut's The 400 Blows and the great works of Italian neorealism, Naderi's 10th feature film—inspired by his own childhood—has been cited as the beginning of the post-revolutionary Iranian New Wave, and its first masterpiece.

Date: January 26-28, 2023

Cost:
Members: $12.00
Non-Members: $15.00

Location:
Museum of Fine Arts - Harry and Mildred Remis Auditorium (Auditorium 161)
465 Huntington Avenue,
Boston, MA 02115.

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