Constitutional Law

Online Filmmakers Offer New Glimpses of Iran

By David Sasaki

The last time we checked in with Iran Inside Out, project leader Shaghayegh Azimi had just finished a trailer video to whet our appetite for what was to come.

As she details in a two-part project evaluation, Azimi intended for Iran Inside Out to become a full-time venture to spread awareness about and raise the profile of young Iranian filmmakers by introducing their works to an international audience. The project has encountered several obstacles, but it has also made important progress over the past six months, including an attractive and interactive website.

Iran Inside Out has also managed to publish two videos by filmmakers Hossein Rasti and Hamid Najafirad which exemplify the power of film to convey human emotion. Najafirad's "Silent Screech" offers an insider's view of Tehran's underground heavy metal scene.

Recent comments by US President Elect Barack Obama about Iran make Hossein Rasti's intimate meditation on the future for his young nephew, Parsa, all the more relevant. Will Parsa's generation see an era of prevailing peace or increasing conflict?

Looking toward the future, Azimi says another video will be posted to Iran Inside Out shortly. She also hopes to form partnerships with the online film festival "Culture Unplugged" and with journalism, communication, and film departments at local Iranian universities. Keep your eyes on Iran Inside Out for more great content.

Full post as published by MediaShift Idea Lab on December 19, 2008 (boomark / email).