Cinema Rex - Iranian Cinema Podcast
From Kiarostami to Abbasi, from Farrokhzad to Amirpour. From pre-revolutionary cinema to modern times. Join Iranian-Canadian filmmakers Kaveh Mohebbi and Faran Moradi (a screenwriter and a director) as they embark on a crash-course on all that Iranian cinema has to offer episode-to-episode one film at a time.
Episodes
In Afghanistan, a young girl embarks on a journey to learn to read and write, only to be met with a series of obstacles including financial strain, a series of quests and a local gang of bullies pretending to be the Taliban.
Directed by Hana Makhmalbaf
A drama about corruption and injustice in Iranian society. You are the oppressed, or you have to join the oppressor to survive.
Written and Directed by Mohammad Rasoulof
Haunted by the suspicious death of his ailing mother, a university professor coerces his enigmatic gardener to execute a cold-blooded act of vengeance.
Written and Directed by Alireza Khatami
When an old couple washes their gabbeh rug - a young woman magically appears and tells them her life story.
Written and Directed by Mohsen Makhmalbaf
When a large Iranian-American family gathers, a family secret is uncovered that catapults the estranged mother and daughter into an exploration of the past, and to discover they are more alike than they know.
Written and Directed by Maryam Keshavarz
An Eastern European tourist unexpectedly finds himself stranded at JFK airport and must take up temporary residence there.
Directed by Steven Spielberg
An unassuming mechanic is reminded of his time in an Iranian prison when he encounters a man he suspects to be his sadistic jailhouse captor. Panicked, he rounds up a few of his fellow ex-prisoners to confirm the man's identity.
Directed by Jafar Panahi
A young widow returning to her village inherits an ancient sword no one will claim - until a warrior from the past arrives to retrieve it, only to fall in love with her instead.
Written and Directed by Bahram Beyzaie
When an impoverished boy loses his sister shoes, the siblings are forced to secretly share his only pair, racing back and forth against school suspensions, and the discipline of their unforgiving father at home.
Directed by Majid Majidi
When Abdollah imbues a scarecrow with the likeness of a man, one by one the townspeople succumb to madness, as rumours swirl that it might actually be possessed.
Directed by Bahman Farmanara
AKA, Anxiety (1976) is the story of an ex-con who's trying to make up for lost time with his wife and child, only for this new life of peace to be threatened by a racket of deceit and blackmail. We also discuss the phenomenon of the "Film Farsi" genre in more detail with special guest, Sina Dolati of Rangarang!
Directed by Samuel Khachikian
An Iranian couple living in the US become trapped inside a hotel when insidious events force them to face the secrets that have come between them, in a night that never ends.
Directed by Kourosh Ahari
Investigating reports of demonic possessions in a remote village, a skeptical military officer finds his beliefs tested by an enigmatic exorcist.
Directed by Arsalan Amiri
This film is available to watch on YouTube
Banned from making movies by the Iranian government, Jafar Panahi poses as a taxi driver and makes a movie about social challenges in Iran.
Written and Directed by Jafar Panahi
This film is available to view on Hoopla, or rent/own from Apple TV
A government tax auditor’s failing marriage unravels as his moral compromises at work mirror the growing alienation and mistrust in his home.
Written and Directed by Abbas Kiarostami
This film is available to view on the Criterion Channel
In the wake of the Iranian Revolution, a prosperous Jewish family abandons everything before they are consumed by the passions of revolutionaries.
Directed by Wayne Blair
This film is available digitally in the USA from Fandango and in Canada through Plex and PlutoTV free with ads.
The honour Shahin and Shakoor, two brothers leading a powerful gang in the underbelly of Tehran, is brought into question when a video of their sister leaks, threatening to unravel not just their gang but their own family.
Written and Directed by Houman Seyyedi
This film is available to view on YouTube
In an attempt to raise money for his sick wife's medical care, an Afghan refugee partakes in a grueling exhibition where he must bike, non-stop for seven days and seven nights - battling hunger, exhaustion and enemies who stand to gain from his loss.
Written and Directed by Mohsen Makhmalbaf.
This film is available to view on YouTube.
Law of Tehran aka Just 6.5 aka Metri Shish o Neem tells the story of Samad (Payman Maadi) a narcotics detective in pursuit of a shadow drug kingpin Naser Khakzad (Navid Mohammadzadeh). One day a raid leads to capturing a low level dealer who leads to a bigger fish, who is somehow connected to the notorious drug lord. This film is available on Youtube.
A precocious and outspoken Iranian girl grows up during the Islamic Revolution.
Written & Directed by Marjane Satrapi & Vincent Paronnaud
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