Annual Festival of Films from Iran

About the Event

Schedule of Events

8:30 pm: Starless Dreams

"Roger Ebert once called the movies 'a machine that generates empathy,' and Starless Dreams is just such a machine. With the conceptual rigor and emotional directness associated with the best of Iranian cinema, Oskouei simply listens to the stories of those who have never been listened to before." - Scott Tobias, Variety

"Mehrdad Oskouei's reputation as one of Iran's finest documentary filmmakers grows film by film. Starless Dreams is the perfect example of how powerful simplicity can be, when it's underpinned by compassion for its subject." - Deborah Young, The Hollywood Reporter

In this empathetic documentary set in a juvenile detention center for teenage girls on the outskirts of Tehran, Mehrdad Oskouei (THE OTHER SIDE OF THE BURKA, presented at the Film Center in 2006) follows seven inmates, all of whom have committed serious crimes, from robbery to homicide and drug possession. Through interviews and observational footage, Oskouei documents her subjects as they reflect on their crimes and share their hopes for the future. Despite the harshness of their surroundings—and the dangers outside the prison walls— the film captures the joys they experience together as young women. Oskouei, one of Iran's most prominent filmmakers, spent seven years securing access to the facility, and delivers an unforgettable portrayal of innocence lost and found.

Awards & Nominations

Winner - Amnesty International Film Prize, Berlin Film Festival
Winner - Grierson Award, Documentary, London Film Festival
Winner - Best Directing in a Documentary Film, Fajr Film Festival

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