Desert Dancer (2014)

Afshin Ghaffarian risks everything to start a dance company amidst his home country of Iran's politically volatile climate and the nation's ban on dancing.

Director:

Richard Raymond

Writers:

Jon Croker (screenplay), Afshin Ghaffarian (based on the life story of)

Stars:

Marama Corlett, Freida Pinto, Nazanin Boniadi

2 nominations.

Cast

Credited cast:
Marama Corlett	...	Mona
Freida Pinto	...	Elaheh
Nazanin Boniadi	...	Parisa Ghaffarian
Tom Cullen	...	Ardavan
Reece Ritchie	...	Afshin Ghaffarian
Akin Gazi	...	Farid Ghaffarian
Simon Kassianides	...	Sattar
Neet Mohan	...	Javadi, Naser
Tolga Safer	...	Stephano
Richard David-Caine	...	Teymour / Trinculo
Makram Khoury	...	Mehdi
Davood Ghadami	...	Basij Leader
Mourad Zaoui	...	The student
Alex Klaus	...	Minder 1 (as Alex Claus)
Hamza Kadri	...	Smocking Guy

Storyline

A film based on an incredible true story. Desert Dancer is a classic hero story about brave young people risking their lives to rebel against their government and fight for their dreams. Set in Iran, where it is currently forbidden to dance, the story follows Afshin Ghaffarian and his friends who despite the dangers form an underground dance company where, via hacking into YouTube, they learn from the very best - Michael Jackson, Pina Bausch, Gene Kelly and Rudolf Nureyev. Reveling in the freedom of expression that dance gives them, they set upon putting on a performance deep in the desert, away from the watchful eyes of the military police.

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Plot Keywords:

dance | desert | iran | dancer | dancing | 

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Taglines:

Freedom Takes Courage.

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Genres:

Biography | Drama | Music

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for thematic elements, some drug material and violence

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

UK United Arab Emirates Romania Morocco

Language:

English

Release Date:

22 April 2016 (UK)

Also Known As:

Until I Rise

Filming Locations:

London, England, UK

Box Office

Budget:

$4,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$40,763, 12 April 2015, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$143,653, 10 May 2015

Company Credits

Production Co:

CrossDay Productions Ltd.,Head Gear Films,Lipsync Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

104 min

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

There is a misspelled word in the big banner the protesters carry in front of them

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Connections

References Dirty Dancing (1987)

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Soundtracks

Lightning Tent
(Dean Povinsky (as Povinsky))
Performed by Wildlife

User Reviews

Loved It! Very Touching Movie

This was a very well made film! After watching the movie, I learned a lot about Iran and their views on dancing.

Pretty intense!

The boy who played the role of Afshin Ghaffarian, the dancer, did an amazing job. Frieda Pinto also played a role in this movie, and was interesting to learn about her character. Everyone had their specific role in the movie, telling the story of what really happens there.

Its a very wild thought to think about what it would be like to live away from home, and the type of lifestyle some people see in the middle east, where this takes place.

If you like interesting stories that are true, you will love this movie!

Hands down one of the more interesting movies i have ever seen.