Farhang Foundation is proud to partner with the prestigious American Film Institute in presenting the 2021 AFI DOCS Film Festival and the premiere of the new Iranian Documentary feature film

RADIOGRAPH OF A FAMILY

Written and Directed by Firouzeh Khosrovani

U.S. Premiere June 23, 9AM (PT) – June 27, 7PM (PT)

 

 

“Mother married a photo of Father,” says director Firouzeh Khosrovani in the opening of this deeply personal documentary. She’s not speaking metaphorically though. Her mother Tayi literally married a portrait of Hossein in Teheran — he was in Switzerland studying radiology and was unable to travel back to his homeland for the wedding.

The event illustrates the abyss that still exists in their marriage: Hossein is a secular progressive and Tayi a devout, traditional Muslim. But this family history is also a sort of x-ray, laying bare the conflicts of Iranian society in the run-up to, and aftermath of the Iranian Revolution in 1979.

Besides Khosrovani’s commentary, we hear letters being read aloud and recollections of conversations between her parents. At the same time, we see photographs and videos from the family archive. These fragments of intimacy are interspersed with stylized shots of the filmmaker’s parental home, its decor and furnishings subtly reflecting each new phase in her parents’ marriage-and in Iranian society.

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“In our polarized times, Khosrovani’s finely crafted chronicle of enduring love strikes a gracious, moving, uplifting note.”
The Hollywood Reporter

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“Iranian Director Firouzeh Khosrovani shows a family fractured by revolution.”
Variety

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“In the hands of Khosrovani, irreconcilable differences, tensions, and unanswered questions are the ingredients for some revolutionary cinema”
Filmmaker Magazine

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Countries: Iran, Switzerland, Norway

Year: 2020

Director: Firouzeh Khosrovani

Screenwriter: Firouzeh Khosrovani

Producers: Bård Kjøge Rønning, Fabien Greenberg

Executive Producers: Bård Kjøge Rønning, Fabien Greenberg

Director of Photography: Mohammad Reza Jahanpanah

Editors: Farahnaz Sharifi, Rainer Maria Trinkler, Jila Apachi

Production Designer: Iraj Raminfar

Music: Peyman Yazdanian

Running Time (minutes): 80

Languges: French, Farsi, Subtitled