Dark Matter
Sat 6/29/2024 • 7:30PM - 9:10PM PDT
Billy Wilder Theater
Part of: 2024 UCLA Celebration of Iranian Cinema
Mast-del
Iran/U.K., 2023
Filmmaker Maryam Tafakory weaves original footage and clips from post-revolution Iranian cinema to craft a beautifully felt and richly executed reflection on a first date.
DCP, color, in Persian and English with English subtitles, 17 min. Director: Maryam Tafakory.
Dark Matter
Iran, 2023
Director Karim Lakzadeh channels the French New Wave by way of Jim Jarmusch into this wildly unexpected and entirely welcome independent Iranian production. A trio of aspiring, young filmmakers throw caution — and the hijab (literally) — to the wind when they rob a local gangster to fund their DIY movie. Shot in black and white with an eye to bold angles, Dark Matter exudes a playful cool and an infectious love of cinema. This is a boy, a girl and a gun Iranian-style.
DCP, b&w and color, in Persian with English subtitles, 82 min. Director: Karim Lakzadeh. Screenwriter: Karim Lakzadeh. With: Shadab Mahdiar, Keyvan Parmar, Iman Sayyad Borhani.