Film screening and panel discussion about filmmaking and freedom of expression in Iran today.

Iranian director Jafar Panahi is one of the most important and acclaimed directors in the world. His films such as This is not a film and Taxi have been screened and honored at the Cannes, Venice, and Berlin film festivals. Panahi was recently released from prison in Tehran, where he was arrested in July 2022 in connection with a sentence issued against him for “propaganda against the system.” In recent years, more than 100 members of the Iranian film industry to be arrested or banned from making movies.

Three Faces, 2018. Directed by Jafar Panahi.
Actress Behnaz Jafari is distraught when she comes across a young girl's video plea for help after her family prevents her from taking up her studies at the Tehran drama conservatory. Behnaz abandons her shoot and turns to filmmaker Jafar Panahi to help with the young girl's troubles. The duo travels by car to the rural Northwest, where they have encounters with the charming and generous folk of the girl's mountain village. But Behnaz and Jafar also discover that old traditions die hard. Director Jafar Panahi’s fourth film since he was banned from making films in Iran, Three Faces is a continuation of the director’s effort to push the boundaries of cinematic conventions while creatively and playfully flouting the censors.

Winner of Best Screenplay at the Cannes Film Festival and an Official Selection at the Toronto International Film Festival.

"Critic’s Pick! Elegant… immersive, pleasurably intelligent." Manohla Dargis, The New York Times

“Three Faces builds in narrative, thematic, and visual intricacy to put forth a grand expression of community and solidarity under the eye of oppression.” New York Film Festival

A discussion with Lunaz, Cincinnati-based artist/curator from Iran, will follow the film.

Attendees are encouraged to consider donating to the Iranian Diaspora Collective (https://www.iraniandiasporacollective.com/) and The Geev, a project that fights internet censorship and digital rights for Iran (https://www.instagram.com/thegeev/) (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/thegeev).

General public tickets available at www.esquiretheatre.com