Busboys and Poets welcomes Filmmaker Yassamin Maleknasr to the Nicolás Guillén room for the screening of her films Rumi: Love & Unity & Iran, Through Foreign Eyes
For Meleknasr, making Rumi: Love & Unity was like attending the school of Life. While making it, she learned so much. More than words can write, more than pictures can show... More than the filmmaker could capture in 14 minutes. Maleknasr's aim was not just to capture the dances of the Turkish Sufis, but also to teach beyond borders, to open a window to a different meaning of Islam. Living in today's world of misunderstanding and divisions among East and West, Rumi can be the answer. The poet connects us all regardless of our faith and beliefs, showing us the road to peace, harmony, and love. As Rumi would have wanted, Maleknasr hopes this film raises questions among those who wish to change the world for the better and that it educates people on diversity and harmony.
Having lived in the West and Iran, Maleknasr always felt there was something extra that was not covered in the Western media; the realities of Iranian people, their lives and their openness to foreigners. When Khatami came to power, Maleknasr wanted to make films in the region. It truly was a special time. Iran, Through Foreign Eyes takes a look at Iran and Iranians' at that time from the perspectives of different women from EU, Africa, and The USA. The fiilmmaker delves into their personal stories, their experiences, their fears as they arrived and the true souvenir they would take with them when leaving Iran.
About Yassamin Maleknasr
Yassamin Maleknasr is the first Iranian woman who graduated in Film and Television from USC. After winning the Best Supporting Actress Award at Tehran’s Fajr Film Festival for Dariush Mehrjui's film, "Sara” she directed her first feature film: “The Common Plight” which has turned into a cult movie amongst Iranian youth. But her true passion lies in making documentaries and has made many films on a variety of subjects. In 2002 she travelled more than 3,000 miles throughout war-torn Afghanistan by land to make her acclaimed film: “Afghanistan the lost Truth”. Her recent lyrical documentary, “Women of the Silk Road” (2016), portrays the lives of 4 women from 4 countries of the silk road. Presently, she has two more projects in post-production: “Symphony in the dark” and “Death of Negative”.
Free and Open to Everyone
