Nick Davis Lecture: Two Iranian Masters

Northwestern professor Nick Davis has put together a wonderful series of lectures on film topics from Romanian film to Asian-American romances to underheralded Oscar categories to looks at directors like Steve McQueen, Bong Joon-ho, and recently Kelly Reichardt. In anticipation of their new films appearing at the upcoming Chicago international Film Festival, here he will be taking a look at two Iranian directors - Jafar Panahi and Shahram Mokri!

Jafar Panahi already was a recognized great filmmaker with films like "The White Balloon" and "Mirror" when he passed into legendary status by making a whole series of films while being banned and under house arrest by the Iranian government! His CIFF entry "It Was Just An Accident" was also made illegally yet managed to win the Palme D'or this year at Cannes. Panahi is a master at making films that question their own existence (his first title made under arrest was called, "This Is Not A Film"), and next generation filmmaker Shahram Mokri takes such ideas one dimension further - in films like "Fish & Cat" and "Careless Crime" he has the action move forward and backward in time as well as place (all the more remarkable in the former, which consists of a single 135 minute shot!) CIFF will be showing his latest, "Black Rabbit, White Rabbit".

Nick Davis will be sure to put together a clinic illuminating these two filmmakers and the Iranian New Wave they sprang from! Afterwards we'll head to the Centennial Bar on 733 N. LaSalle to talk about these filmmakers and Davis' details about them. Admission is FREE, but it's recommended to sign up for the event in advance so that the organizers have an earlier impression of the attendance, which you can do by following this link: https://www.chicagofilmfestival.com/event/diggingdeeper-iranianmasters/