The Stoning of Soraya M. (2008)

A drama set in 1986 Iran and centered on a man, Sahebjam, whose car breaks down in a remote village and enters into a conversation with Zahra, who relays to him the story about her niece, ... See full summary »

Director:

Cyrus Nowrasteh

Writers:

Betsy Giffen Nowrasteh (screenplay), Cyrus Nowrasteh (screenplay),

Stars:

Shohreh Aghdashloo, Mozhan Marnò, Jim Caviezel

5 wins & 5 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Shohreh Aghdashloo	...	Zahra
Mozhan Marnò	...	Soraya M.
Jim Caviezel	...	Freidoune Sahebjam
Navid Negahban	...	Ali
Ali Pourtash	...	Mullah
David Diaan	...	Ebrahim
Parviz Sayyad	...	Hashem
Vida Ghahremani	...	Mrs. Massoud
Vachik Mangassarian	...	Morteza Ramazani - Soraya's Father
Bita Sheibani	...	Leila
Noor Al Taher	...	Kataneh
Haya Al Taher	...	Malaka
Khalid Khan	...	Warden
Sheede Dana	...	Second Woman
Fay Yan	...	Bita

Storyline

A drama set in 1986 Iran and centered on a man, Sahebjam, whose car breaks down in a remote village and enters into a conversation with Zahra, who relays to him the story about her niece, Soraya, whose arranged marriage to an abusive tyrant had a tragic ending.

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Plot Keywords:

village | iran | car | cowardice | persian | 

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Taglines:

When a deadly conspiracy became a shameful cover-up One witness refused to be silent.

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Genres:

Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for a disturbing sequence of cruel and brutal violence, and brief strong language

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

Persian English

Release Date:

9 October 2009 (Sweden)

Also Known As:

La verdad de Soraya M.

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

$115,053 (USA) (26 June 2009)

Gross:

$655,647 (USA) (20 November 2009)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Roadside Attractions, Mpower Distribution, Mpower Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

114 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

At the location where the jail scene was to be shot a prison riot broke out the day before causing a lockdown and a "prison" had to be constructed.

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Goofs

When Soraya gives her jewelry to her daughters, both girls cup their hands to receive both items, not knowing which sister is being given which piece. This happens both times, even when the younger daughter has received her necklace already.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Title Card: Don't act like the hypocrite, who thinks he can conceal his wiles while loudly quoting the Koran. - Hafez, 14th Century Iranian Poet

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Connections

Featured in The Rotten Tomatoes Show: Public Enemies/Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs/The Stoning of Soraya M (2009)

User Reviews

Heart wrenching gut turning eye opening

AMAZING to drive thru traffic being stopped at Wilshire and Sepulveda (where there were over a thousand people dressed in green waving red, white and green Iranian flags on the corner) over to the premiere of this devastatingly powerful film...and then to leave Westwood later that night as see the street corners still crowded with enthusiastic supporters at 11 PM.

The post-film discussion with LAFF guest artist Khaled Hosseini (author of The Kite Runner), Iranian writer and scholar Reza Aslan, the film's director Cyrus Nowrasteh and the star of the film Shohreh Aghdashloo (House of Sand and Fog) was PHENOMENAL. Check out: in The Wrap -- http://www.thewrap.com/ind-column/tk-stoning-soraya-m_3794

Kudos to the cast that had the courage to make this movie. And the producers (or whomever) who had the foresight. Talk about timing.