Seen so much about this movie being exploitative.
It isn't. At least not with the information given. And Caveh gives a lot of self-deprecating personal information in relation to the film. While making it clear that if anyone explicitly asked for a scene they were in to be cut because they thought they were in danger then he would. No-one did. Going by the closing credits no-one got in trouble.
This is unique. In a good way. Essential viewing for lovers of off-beat cinema. And know this: I greatly admire the director but had major moral problems with his "I don't hate Vegas anymore", so it's not like I'm blindly supporting the guy here.
Check it out. The IMDb write-up is bunk. There's no fatwa threatened and Zahedi does not cheerfully set out to annoy the establishment in every way he can think of. Instead he's out for freedom of expression, which includes admitting his own possible faults, and getting the film made. When the Arab spring hits in tandem with the hypocrisy becoming apparent of the arts department who invited him over, he releases it anyway. As he makes clear, no-one in the film explicitly told him not to because of danger to themselves. And the main players mostly end up in a much better situation. There's no evidence on film of exploitation as I see it.
See this. No-one knows about the country depicted. Which makes this so interesting. It's an honest, brave film that does (despite what people are saying) retain its integrity and furthermore entertains in a way no- one but Zahedi can.
It isn't. At least not with the information given. And Caveh gives a lot of self-deprecating personal information in relation to the film. While making it clear that if anyone explicitly asked for a scene they were in to be cut because they thought they were in danger then he would. No-one did. Going by the closing credits no-one got in trouble.
This is unique. In a good way. Essential viewing for lovers of off-beat cinema. And know this: I greatly admire the director but had major moral problems with his "I don't hate Vegas anymore", so it's not like I'm blindly supporting the guy here.
Check it out. The IMDb write-up is bunk. There's no fatwa threatened and Zahedi does not cheerfully set out to annoy the establishment in every way he can think of. Instead he's out for freedom of expression, which includes admitting his own possible faults, and getting the film made. When the Arab spring hits in tandem with the hypocrisy becoming apparent of the arts department who invited him over, he releases it anyway. As he makes clear, no-one in the film explicitly told him not to because of danger to themselves. And the main players mostly end up in a much better situation. There's no evidence on film of exploitation as I see it.
See this. No-one knows about the country depicted. Which makes this so interesting. It's an honest, brave film that does (despite what people are saying) retain its integrity and furthermore entertains in a way no- one but Zahedi can.