No One Knows About Persian Cats

No One Knows About Persian Cats (2009)

Genres - Drama, Music, Musical  |   Sub-Genres - Coming-of-Age, Musical Drama  |   Release Date - Apr 16, 2010 (USA - Limited)  |   Run Time - 106 min.  |   Countries - Iran  |   MPAA Rating - NR
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Synopsis by Mark Deming

Iran is a nation where most forms of pop music have been strictly banned by the government, but that doesn't stop plenty of people from playing the music they love in secret, and a pair of underground musicians in Tehran struggle to be heard without going to jail in this independent comedy drama from director Bahman Ghobadi. Negar (Negar Shaghaghi) and Ashkan (Ashkan Koshanejad) are two friends who front an indie rock band, though their inability to play in public has been something of a drawback. Negar and Ashkan have been able to arrange a gig in London, and are searching for like-minded musicians to accompany them when they meet Nader (Hamed Behdad), a fast-talking black-market businessman who deals in bootlegged music and movies, fake passports, and underground practice spaces (both literally and figuratively) for local rock musicians. Nader offers to help Negar and Ashkan find fellow musicians and a place to rehearse, but this process isn't nearly as simple or safe as Nader makes it out to be. Kasi Az Gorbehaye Irani Khabar Nadareh (aka No One Knows About Persian Cats) was an official selection at the 2009 Cannes Film Festival, where it was screened as part of the "Un Certain Regard" program.

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Keywords

aspiration, expatriate, expression, freedom, Iran, musician, pop-music, rock-band, youth, youth-culture