When Arya Ghavamian grew up in Iran, the cinematic experience was hard to come by. After the 1979 revolution, the Islamic Republic cracked down on Iran’s robust film industry, denouncing it as an obscene and immoral product of Westernization.
Theaters were burned to the ground, and films containing depictions of sexuality or other debauchery were banned, as were certain actors. The government only permitted films it deems appropriate for public viewing. Iranian writers have either been expelled or have otherwise learned to adapt to new restrictions.
In the 1990s, Arya got her first taste of unlicensed cinema by watching bootlegs of “The Maltese Falcon” and “McKenna’s Gold” at home. His family lived on the Iranian border between Afghanistan and Pakistan, known as a smuggling route. There, his parents, who were doctors, often received black market movies as gifts from their patients.
However, after her family moved to Tehran in 1996, Arya was shocked to learn that the same film was cut with Iranian cartoons and football. “The movie I wanted to see was right there,” she recalls. “I put it in the tape player and it became something completely different.” I noticed that
The DVD era brought a new dimension to film smuggling in Tehran. Her then-teenager Arya procured what she wanted from the agafilmi (“movie people”) who peddled banned movies from the stairwells of apartment complexes. There, customers would visit the movie guy and share his movie catalog. “Die Hard 2” will be listed alongside Andrei Tarkovsky’s “Stalker” and the Iranian classic “The Ballad of Cod,” Gabbamian recalled. Once the selection is made, the film director uses a walkie-talkie to coordinate handovers with someone in charge of the stash. “That’s how I got my film education,” he said Mr Ghavamian.
In 2008, then 17-year-old Arya moved to the United States on her own with a deep passion for art and indie film. “I literally left Iran for the movies,” he said. Upon arrival, he expected to find a “cinema paradise” kind of homage to cinema. But when he moved to San Jose, Calif., with his uncle, he encountered a void of a different kind. It was a multiplex focused on modern Hollywood blockbusters and not much else.
Gabbamian eventually made his way to New York and found what he was looking for in independent theaters and art houses. Although the city had more attractions than San Jose, he found similarities between his experiences in Tehran and New York. If he wants to watch an interesting movie, say a foreign or art movie, or an old title, he will. He must be actively sought.
After living in New York for nine years, Gabamian, 31, launched Cinema Tehran with co-founder Mani Nilkiani, 36. Iranian director. “I think Cinema Tehran is the exact opposite of what is shown in cinemas,” said Gabamian. Gabamian said he wanted to create a “very inclusive space for art that’s not being marketed or pushed on Instagram feeds or billboards.” He also wants to revive the joint act of going to the movies, which he feels lost amid digital streaming and the pandemic.
The film project follows the duo’s success at Disco Tehran, a performance project and party that has garnered a loyal following in New York City and more recently in Europe. This summer they sold out shows in Paris, London and Berlin. Combining live music with a DJ set, the party emphasizes cultural dialogue and interaction. One night, you can expect to hear a Slavic brass band opening for Colombian Tropical his futurism quartet, followed by his DJ remix of Persian trap music.
The two men want to apply the same philosophy of cultural intersectionality to Cinema Tehran. “Finding unexpected connections is the crux of it,” Nilkiani said. They have also continued to blossom despite ongoing restrictions by showing classics as well as using a portion of their profits to produce films by emerging Iranian directors residing at home and abroad. We also plan to support the Iranian film scene.
In May, it premiered at the Anthology Film Archives, an independent theater on Manhattan’s Lower East Side founded by Lithuanian immigrant Jonas Mekas. The line-up includes his two short films “The Bread and Alley” by Iranian new wave director Abbas Kiarostami and “Extra Sauce” by up-and-coming Iranian director Alireza Ghasemi (the film they started producing). A movie was included. Headliner ‘Wings of Desire’ directed by Wim Wenders was screened in his original 35mm format.
Multiplex is still struggling because of the pandemic, but Anthology film programmer Jed Lapvogel said audiences were larger than usual since theaters reopened in August 2021. “I feel like there was an underlying demand for going to the movies,” he said, adding that the Cinema Tehran event has been particularly successful. “They have the ability to draw crowds. There was a lot of energy.”
After the screening, attendees mingled under a series of lights in a nearby alley while Nasrin Lejari, an Iranian refugee and caterer, served plates of traditional Persian food: gheimeh, chunks of peas and beef. A tomato-based stew made with over saffron rice. Food is always at the center of events in Tehran. Early Disco Tehran At some of his parties, Mr. Ghavamian often served himself meals for guests and served his golmeh sabji, a Persian stew made with beans and dried limes, served with green beans and dried limes. I showed up late with a hot pot.
Last week, Cinema Tehran also introduced a subscription-based streaming platform. Nilkiani, who is spearheading the effort, hired a developer from Ukraine to help build it. His vision for the platform is to be the opposite of Netflix. Rather than offering a menu of never-ending content, Chef Tasting wants to give viewers a “curated menu”, much like his menu. “This is the appetizer, this is the appetizer, this is the dessert.”
When you attend an event like Disco Tehran or Cinema Tehran, you get the feeling that you’re taking cultural connections seriously. Because both founders are immigrants and driven to offer a sense of community outside their own country. After living in the United States for 11 years, Nilkiani applied for naturalization in August. Gabbamian, who sought political asylum after the 2009 Iranian general election, has not returned to his home country for 14 years.
But both men remain closely connected to their homes, and a young woman, Masa Amini, was killed after being arrested by Tehran’s morality police for a law on head scarves. As they spread across the country, the two shared information through Disco Tehran’s newsletter. protest It is held when Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi is scheduled to attend the United Nations. Later that week, the men helped people inside Iran access virtual private networks (VPNs) when the government shut down the internet in parts of the country where protests were escalating.
“This is not the first time Iranian women have met such a fate,” they wrote in their newsletter. “Everyone is fed up with the brutality and exploitation in our country.”
Last month, they held another screening on the anthology, co-curated by Mr. Ghasemi, the filmmaker and producer they started working with. This time, we will focus on female filmmakers such as Iranian rising director Sogol Rezvani’s short film “Revelence” and Hungarian director Ildiko Enyedi’s feature film “My 20th century”, which won the best prize at the Cannes Film Festival. rice field. 1989 festival.
Although the alley was not available this time, tables were set up outside the theater and Persian cookies and tea were provided. We heard different languages, including Persian and Italian. A woman who moved to New York from Moscow six months ago was smoking alone on the street. She had heard about her Disco Tehran from a French friend.
“Ultimately, I just want to have this experience of feeling warmth,” said Ghavamian. “Being able to provide this warmth to myself and others.”
Cinema Tehran’s next installment is scheduled for October 26th and 27th at the Anthology Film Archives at 32 Second Avenue. Iranian filmmaker Raphipitz presents two of his feature films, ‘It’s Winter’ and ‘The Hunter’.
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