Point of View
By Daily Bruin Staff
March 6, 2001 9:00 p.m.
 UCLA Film and Television Archive "The Child and the
Soldier" is one of the films featured at the James Bridges Theatre
for the exhibition "Travelers: New Iranian Cinema." Its viewers
will gain a new and eye-opening perspective on the Middle Eastern
country’s beauty and culture.
By Chris Young
Daily Bruin Contributor
Iranian cinema is unique both as a work of art and for the
images it reveals of Iran.
The UCLA Film and Television Archive and the UCLA Center for
Near Eastern Studies present a series of new cinema by Iranian
filmmakers. Boasting seven feature-length films and two short
films, “Travelers: New Iranian Cinema,” reveals slices
of everyday life in Iran.
“Iranian film is a living breathing entity that constantly
changes,” said Cheng-Sim Lim, programmer at the UCLA Film and
Television Archive, in an interview at the Archive. “It
focuses on contemporary life, the beauty and struggle of daily
life.”
The film series shows people dealing with universal issues such
as family, authority, gender, marriage and education.
All films are selected for their artistic craftsmanship and
poignant messages, Lim said. This year’s Iranian film series
features movies such as “The Circle,” which won a
Golden Lion award in the 2000 Venice Film Festival.
Another film, “Christine” is a documentary about an
Iranian-born woman in the U.S. She is given up by her family as an
infant, and goes back to Iran to search for her birth parents.
While “Christine” examines the treatment of women in
Iran, Lim said the films are not necessarily lessons on
controversial issues in Iran.
“These are not didactic polemical films that will hit you
in the head with a message and leave you cold,” she said.
“They’re political in the best sense of the word. All
the messages you may find are balanced out with the artistic
aspects of the film.”
Jonathan Friedlander, assistant director for the Center for Near
Eastern Studies, said that these films break down stereotypes
Americans have of Iranians. He said that since it is difficult for
Americans to travel to Iran, they must rely on popular media for
information, which may not accurately represent Iran’s
diverse and vibrant society.
“These films are a window to Iranian society,”
Friedlander said. “They change stereotypes, addressing people
as human beings instead of simply people having political conflict
with the U.S.”
For all the messages that these films may have, however, Lim
said that viewers should not look specifically for hidden meanings;
they should enjoy them for their artistic merit also.
“Iranian filmmakers are as interested in questions of
aesthetics and form as they are about presenting messages about
social issues,” she said.
While most big budget Hollywood films sensationalize life and
represent people as larger than life, Lim said that Iranian films
examine things in a starkly different light.
“Hollywood has an art form, one of commercialism, but
Iranians have an artistic sensibility that’s above a vulgar
commercialism,” Friedlander said. “The films I’ve
seen over the years are visually striking, very poetic
films.”
Lim said that the films show the viewer that everyday life in
Iran, though it could seem mundane and banal, can be transformed
into a world of incredible beauty.
She pointed out that even with a huge Hollywood film budget, the
results can be less spectacular than one of the Iranian films.
“Small budgets liberated the filmmakers,” Lim said.
“When people have constraints they come up with ingenious
solutions.”
“For the $100 million spent in a Hollywood picture, the
Iranians could make 100 million films,” she added.
The UCLA Film and Television Archive has screened Iranian films
since 1990.
“This series is a good experience to view another
culture,” said Kelly Graml, public affairs coordinator for
the Film and Television Archive. “Iran is in the news a lot,
but put in a different light. This series should put things in
perspective for a lot of students.”
Part of the Archive’s mission is to enrich a film culture
by screening nationally and internationally acclaimed films. Often
these Archive screenings are the public’s first chance to
view them in Los Angeles and sometimes, for the world.
“The UCLA Film and Television Archive is at the forefront,
both in Los Angeles and nationally, bringing to this country works
by leading filmmakers and movements around the world,” Lim
said.
By taking advantage of the Archives’ collections, students
can gain a new perspective of this Middle Eastern country and
recognize the beauty of its cinema.
“Recently there was a movie called “˜The White
Balloon’ ““ it was a slice of Iranian life,”
Friedlander said. “That’s what I see in Iranian cinema,
that when you put it all together, you get a more accurate and
interesting portrayal of this country than any other venue in the
U.S.”
FILM: “Travelers: New Iranian
Cinema” screens Iranian films March 8, 10, 11 and 17 in
UCLA’s James Bridges Theater. Tickets $6 general, $4 students
and seniors. For schedule information call (310) 206-FILM or go to
www.cinema.ucla.edu.
