Iranian Film Fest Serves Up Diverse Mix of Artful Flicks

Iranian Film Fest Serves Up Diverse Mix of Artful Flicks

'Orca'

AT A TIME when the news of continuing and expanding conflicts throughout the Middle East can be overwhelming, Houston’s 31st Festival of Films from Iran offers a window into a complex culture where bold, artistic endeavors can be the impetus for a better future.


The award-winning, highly acclaimed films scheduled for the festival include documentaries, family comedies, romantic dramas, and a couple of experimentally realized slasher films. One of the must-sees is Orca (2021), directed by Tehran-born Sahar Mosayebi, and starring Taraneh Alidoosti as Elham who, after nearly beaten to death by her husband, tries to drown herself in the ocean. But being a born athlete, she survives and goes on to confront the religious mores of her country (“In an Islamic country, women don’t swim!”) by becoming an endurance swimmer and attempting to swim farther than anyone has done before — with her hands bound in handcuffs.

'A Revolution on Canvas'

At the other end of the spectrum, Sundance Film Festival favorite The Persian Version (2023) is a whipsmart dramedy featuring Layla Mohammadi as Iranian-American, queer-identifying Leila, who wryly navigates the seemingly irreconcilable expectations of her two cultures. And in the award-winning documentary A Revolution on Canvas (2023), filmmakers Sara Nodjoumi and Till Schauder delve into the mystery surrounding the disappearance of more than 100 paintings by Sara’s father, Iranian artist and activist Nikzad “Nicky” Nodjoumi, who in 1980, fled Iran following the censorship of his solo exhibition Report on the Revolution and its shutdown at the Tehran Museum of Contemporary Art. Also screening at the MFAH are Parviz Shahbazi’s Roxana (2023) and Terrestrial Verses (2023).

Winners (2022), a dramatic film about two children in a small Iranian community who discover an Academy Award statuette (or “Oscar”) in a garbage dump and proceed to seek out its owner, screens Jan. 27 at Asia Society Texas Center. And on Feb. 2-3, Rice Cinema presents two of director Shahram Mokri’s horror films: Fish and Cat (2013), which unfolds in a non-linear single, uncut 135-minute shot, and the similarly grisly and tense Invasion (2017).

'The Persian Version'

Art + Entertainment
As Escape Spa Expands in 2025, Owner Has Advice on Personal Growth: ‘Focus on Intention Setting’

CHANGE IS A good thing, and with the start of a new year, I always like to reflect on how far I've come and start fresh by setting self-care goals for the coming months. Personal growth is a passion for me, and also something I enjoy. Guiding a business through growth and change is also one of my passions, so I am very pleased to announce that Escape Spa is going to be expanding in 2025! We’re honored that we’ve built such a loyal following since opening in Cypress in July of 2022, and we’re thrilled to be in a position to grow our wellness and recovery sanctuary just outside of Houston.

Keep ReadingShow less

Chairs Brady and Zane Carruth, Brittany and Adam Clark

IT ALREADY FEELS like spring in Houston and the spring social season is here with it! 375 guests donned in white-tie flocked to The Post Oak Hotel for the annual Houston Symphony Ball, one of the city’s most anticipated and A-list galas.

Keep ReadingShow less
Parties

A new look from the soft landings collection

FROM THE OWNERS of popular Montrose haunts Traveler’s Table and Traveler’s Cart is another jetset-focused business. Owners Thy and Matthew Mitchell launched Foreign Fare in the fall of 2023 with long-haul travelers in mind. The pieces are wrinkle-free and designed to be functional as well as stylish. The line was recently featured in Travel & Leisure as a “first class look.”

Keep ReadingShow less