Screening of “Golchehreh” and talk with Dr Bahman Maghsoudlou
This is the third movie in the “Persianate Cinema Series” organised by Jaleh Esfahani Cultural Foundation and SOAS University of London. The film is directed by Vahid Mousaian an award winning film maker from Afghanistan. The Executive Producer, Dr Bahman Maghsoudlou, will be present and talks at the screening and with Q&A. An informal reception will follow with the opportunity for further discussions.
The film is a based on the true story of Golchehreh, during the Taliban rule, about the attempts by the rulers to destroy the National Archive and banning most arts activities and clousure of cinemas.
Synopsis: Ashraf Khan, owner of a defunct movie house in Kabul, becomes determined to rebuild and reopen after the fall of the communist Najibullah government and the victory of the Mujahidin in Afghanistan. But civil war soon threatens the new Mujahidin government, spreading from Kabul to the rest of the country, and neither Ashraf’s theater nor the National Film House of Afghanistan, keeper the nation’s pictorial history, is immune to the war and its devastation.
Awards:
Interfaith, Fajr International Film Festival, Tehran, 2011
Best Screenplay, First Kish International Film Festival, Iran, 2011
Best Actor: Masud Rayegan, Iranian Cinema Competition Section, Kish Film Festival, 2011
Best Actress: Ladan Mostoufi, Iranian Cinema Competition Section, Kish Film Festival, 2011
Hakim Abolqassem Ferdowsi, Jury Special Prize, Iranian Cinema Competition Section, Kish Film Festival, 2011
Grand Prix, Batumi International Art House Festival, Georgia, 2011Selected for 42 GOA Film Festival, India, 2011
Best Cinematography, 10th, Annual Boston International Film Festival, 2012 Remi Awards, Best Foreign Film, 45th, WorldFest-Houston International Film Festival, 2012
Director Statement: The true story of Golchehreh upon which the film is based should be shocking to every filmmaker. After I heard the story and decided to film it, the first line that I wrote was: Art never burns.
Time and Venue:
Friday 24 July 2026 at Khalili Lecture Thatre, SOAS University of London, Russell Square WC1H 0XG
For tickets click here.
