SYNOPSIS Tehran. June 2009. The uproar of a city swinging with the Green Wave of protest to the rigged presidential election. An apartment as a shelter. A man and a woman who belong to two different generations. A mobile phone and a computer to communicate with the free world. A love story, that will change two lives.
DIRECTOR S STATEMENT Urgency and radicalism... In the way we, Iranians of the Diaspora, live through the upheavals that happened in Iran in June 2009, and which for a great number of us, means not being able to go back to Iran anymore. Urgency and radicalism, for the two characters of the film, who live through their passion, banal on one hand, but transgressing all the rules of Iran on the other hand. A love story that begins during the uprisings of June 2009, but also ends there, since it is impossible to live outside this particular space and time. A passion that sets them both on fire. A once-in-a-lifetime passion. Between Ali, who lives totally cut off from the society, and Sara, whose body itself bears the imprint of what she lives on the streets of Tehran. For Ali, Sara is a window to the outside world, whereas for her he is a safe harbor to go back to. After the events that shook Iran in 2009, I felt an acute need to raise a certain number of issues. Thus the choice of the Green Wave and the city of Tehran as the background for this story. It was very important for me to make a film without any compromises. A film pure to its core in all of its aspects. In the narrative form, the visual approach and the editing as well - all resting on a number of choices. The first of which was to limit the film to Ali s flat, and to keep close to his point of view.
DIRECTOR S STATEMENT (2) To see the world through his eyes, apart from what is brought to him by Sara or Simin, the two women who visit him. The second key choice was deciding not to give in to any censorship - unlike most Iranian films - and to film the scenes in what I felt was the right way, in order to follow the characters feelings and develop their relationship explicitly. This, along with the political themes in the film, meant selecting Iranian exiles for our Iranian crew and actors. It also meant not being able to shoot the film in Iran, for obvious security reasons. The film is a combination of the images of the uprisings, filmed by anonymous demonstrators with their mobile phones, and the interiors of the apartment - esthetically very different - along with a few other sequences filmed covertly by a crew in Tehran. The composer I have chosen to work with, Ibrahim Maalouf, a Franco-Libanese musician, has the right combination of sensuality and modernism in his music. The same combination that I also tried to create visually. I hope that by combining all these elements, I ve been able to live up to the challenge I had to confront in RED ROSE.
SEPIDEH FARSI Biography Born in Tehran, Iran, Sepideh Farsi moved to Paris to study mathematics. After several years of photography, she began making short films and documentaries, amongst which HARAT and TEHRAN WITHOUT PERMISSION, which both premiered in Locarno. Her first two features DREAMS OF DUST and THE GAZE premiered in Rotterdam. She then directed THE HOUSE UNDER THE WATER, followed by CLOUDY GREECE and has just finished a new feature film: RED ROSE.
SEPIDEH FARSI Filmography RED ROSE - Feature 2014 CLOUDY GREECE - Documentary 2013 THE HOUSE UNDER THE WATER - Feature 2010 TEHRAN WITHOUT PERMISSION - Documentary 2009 HARAT - Documentary 2007 THE GAZE - Feature 2005 DREAMS OF DUST - Feature 2003 THE JOURNEY OF MARYAM - Docu-Drama 2002 MEN OF FIRE - Documentary 2002 HOMI D. SETHNA, FILMMAKER - Documentary 2001 THE WORLD IS MY HOME - Documentary 1999
CREW Director Screenplay Based on an original idea by Original Music Produced by Co-produced by Producer Co-Producers Shooting Executive Producer Director of photography Set Design Costumes Editing Sound Engineer Sound Design Sound Re-Recording With the participation of Supported by Production Manager Stage Manager Make-up Artist Sepideh Farsi Javad Djavahery Sepideh Farsi Javad Djavahery Ibrahim Maalouf Ciné-Sud Promotion Rêves d Eau Productions Pan Entertainment Cosmodigital Mactari Thierry Lenouvel Sepideh Farsi Panos Karabinis Panos Karabinis Pantelis Mantzanas Mayou Trikerioti Danai Elefsinioti Bonita Papastathi Vangelis Zelkas Aris Louziotis Alexandros Sidiropoulos Jean-Guy Véran Aide aux Cinémas du Monde Centre national du cinéma et de l image animée (CNC) French Ministery of Foreign Affairs French Institute Région Ile-de-France Greek Film Center / Centre du cinema Grec Dionisia Dimitrakelou Giorgos Karoris Michèle Ivanoff CAST Sara Mina Kavani Ali Vassilis Koukalani Real Estate Agent Babak Farahani Mr. Amini Javad Djavahery Mehri Rezvan Zandieh Ms. Amini Shirin Maanian With the kind participation of Shabnam Tolouei (as Simine) France / Greece / Iran - 2014-87Min - 24Fps - 1.85-5.1 - Color, Farsi
SCREENINGS Sun. 7th 6:15 PM Scotiabank 5 P&I Sun. 7th 9:30 PM Scotiabank 13 Public Mon. 8th 12:00 PM Bell Lightbox 3 Public Wed. 10th 5:15 PM Scotiabank 10 P&I Fri. 12th 12:00 PM Scotiabank 6 P&I Sat. 13th 8:45 PM Scotiabank 11 Public
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