Tehran Rock City

In Bahman Ghobadi’s film ‘No One Knows About Persian Cats‘, underground film meets underground music in Iran. The 2009 film is a docu drama about two young Persians trying to start a heavy metal band in the face of censors, after they are released from prison — a poignant protest film released shortly before this year’s disputed elections.
 
At this year’s Cannes Film Festival, ‘Cats’ took home a Special Jury Prize, though the film was shot illegally in 17 days. Today, Ghobadi’s films are forbidden in his native country, and the director himself cannot return to the land where he was born. For more on Ghobadi, check out his new interview with the Abu Dhabi’s The National, an English-language newspaper. Check out his interview with French TV, where he talks about the power of DVDs and the Internet in the face of oppression.