No One Knows About Persian Cats

2009

Farsi

(107 minutes) NO ONE KNOWS ABOUT PERSIAN CATS is the fifth feature by award-winning director Bahman Ghobadi (A TIME FOR DRUNKEN HORSES, TURTLES CAN FLY), winner of the Un Certain Regard Jury Prize at the Cannes film festival. Co-written by imprisoned Iranian-American journalist Roxana Saberi, the film is an indictment of cultural repression in Iran’s exciting underground music scene, a powerful cinematic foreshadowing of current protest movements, and a celebration of an entire generation of Iranians striving towards personal and creative freedom. Shot in secret and featuring extraordinary performances by real underground bands, NO ONE KNOWS ABOUT PERSIAN CATS follows a pair of young musicians, recently released from prison, on a mission to take their rock band to Europe. Forbidden by the authorities to play in Iran, they plan their escape abroad with a fast-talking music promoter. Vowing to play one last show before leaving Tehran, their dangerous mission takes them on a free-wheeling journey through the City’s vibrant and diverse underground scene, home to an estimated 2,000 illegal independent bands.