Schedule Of Events:

Thursday February 1, 2024

6:15pm - Celluloid Underground
After the Iranian Revolution, a movie collector in Tehran hid thousands of films to prevent their destruction by the new Islamic regime. Despite arrest and torture, he refused to give up his secret. In this moving and inspiring autobiography about the subversive power of celluloid dreams, his story of resistance is told by the boy who became his partner in crime, recollected years later from exile in London.

Run Time: 80 mins

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Friday February 2, 2024

5:30pm - The Cow
A landmark film in Iranian cinema, Mehrjui’s THE COW gained international acclaim when it won the Critics Prize at the Venice Film Festival and caught the eye of Ayatollah Khomeini, whose admiration and encouragement of the film ushered in the New Wave of Iranian cinema. In rural Iran, the death of his beloved cow drives the villager Hassan into madness. A visionary exploration of grief, THE COW is an allegorical portrait of poverty and mortality.

Run Time: 104 mins

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7:30pm - Dariush Mehrjui: Making Of The Cow
Join director Bahman Maghsoudlou in person for a robust discussion following his documentary chronicling the production and reception of Dariush Mehrjui’s seminal film THE COW. Bahman Maghsoudlou scheduled to attend.

Run Time: 85 mins

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Saturday February 3, 2024

1:00pm - Endless Borders
As the rise of the Taliban in Afghanistan has reignited the fire of ethnic and tribal wars, a teacher named Ahmad befriends a Hazara refugee family from Afghanistan who are under an immediate threat. An exiled Iranian, his own prejudices are challenged as he realizes the impact of prejudice on their lives. When he decides to help a forbidden love, he risks dire consequences for everyone involved.

Run Time: 111 mins

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Sunday February 4, 2024

1:00pm - Roxana
Fred, adrift and purposeless, meets the modern Roxana by chance. He’s unemployed and a disappointment to his mother, while she owns her own videography business and boldly redefines the conventions of her hijab. Far from a meet-cute love story, ROXANA—winner of the Best Actor (Yasna Mirtahmasb) prize at the Tokyo Film Festival—blossoms into a vibrant and modern Iranian love story between two people defying societal expectations. Director of photography Pouya Shahbazi scheduled to attend.

Run Time: 130 mins

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Monday February 5, 2024

6:15pm - Dream's Gate
In this powerful portrait of female resistance, Iranian filmmaker Negin Ahmadi journeys into the war zone of Northern Syria, armed only with her camera, embedding herself with the YPJ—an all-female Kurdish militia unit.

Run Time: 65 mins

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8:15pm - Terrestrial Verses
Terrestrial Verses follows everyday people from all walks of life as they navigate the cultural, religious, and institutional constraints imposed on them by various social authorities, from school teachers to bureaucrats. These stirring vignettes, humorous and affecting, capture the spirit and determination of people amidst adversity, offering a nuanced portrait of a complex society.

Run Time: 77 mins

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Wednesday, February 7, 2024

6:15pm - Empty Nets
Amir and Narges are in love. That’s far from enough to build a life together, and they are forced to keep the relationship secret. To win over Narges’ upper-class family Amir needs money for an appropriate dowry. He finds work at a local fishery and is drawn into the dangerous but lucrative business of black market caviar smuggling. As Amir’s values are compromised, Narges tries to delay the arranged marriage her parents are planning for her. Tradition and true love clash in this tale of troubled love in contemporary Iran.

Run Time: 101 mins

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8:15pm - The Doll
Following the mysterious disappearance of his wife of 40 years, the aging Ayoub has decided to marry the much younger Roya, much to the chagrin of his family. Shot in an incredible, roving single take (the viewer begins to feel like an invisible wedding guest), THE DOLL unveils unpleasant secrets and true intentions through clandestine conversations and tense, often hilarious, moments of revelation.

Run Time: 90 mins

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Thursday February 8, 2024

6:00pm - AZIZ
Aziz, the now 80-year-old matriarch to her family, is suffering from dementia. After decades of providing, Aziz now needs the support of her family, including her youngest son and most devoted child, Anoush, who is about to marry. As her disease progresses, Aziz begins to fall in love deeply with Anoush, and her family—as well as Anoush’s fiance—must navigate the complicated terrain of caregiving, blending love and duty in the face of Aziz’s declining health.

Run Time: 90 mins

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8:15pm - Achilles
In Delaram’s powerful feature debut, which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival, a former filmmaker, now employed as a nighttime medical worker, helps a political prisoner escape her jail-like existence. Together they travel through Iran, connecting with local citizens experiencing similar problems while trying to keep one step ahead of the government authorities looking to recapture the pair.

Run Time: 116 mins

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Date: February 1-8, 2024

Location: Gene Siskel Film Center, 164 North State Street, Chicago, IL 60601

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