Have any questions?
(614) 292-3535
Contact Us
Past Film/Video | Series & Festivals
Special preview
Stream | Cinema Revival | New Restoration
STREAMS ONLINE STARTING FEBRUARY 27 | 7 PM VIA EVENTIVE US EASTERN STANDARD TIME Pay what you wish Limited ticket availability*
We strive to host inclusive, accessible events that enable all individuals, including individuals with disabilities, to engage fully. If you have questions about accessibility or require an accommodation such as captioning or ASL interpretation to participate in this event, please contact Accessibility Manager Helyn Marshall at accessibility@wexarts.org or via telephone at (614) 688-3890. Requests made by two weeks in advance will generally allow us to provide seamless access, but the Wexner Center for the Arts will make every effort to meet requests made after this date.
See a stunning lost work of Iranian cinema—previously banned and smuggled out of the country—in this special Cinema Revival presentation.
A recently rediscovered landmark of Iranian cinema, Aslani’s debut feature Chess of the Wind is set during the last days of the Qajar Dynasty in the 1920s and follows the vicious scheming within an aristocratic family following the death of the wealthy matriarch. Critical of the Shah’s regime and featuring strong women characters as well as lesbian themes, the film was suppressed on release, banned following the 1979 Revolution, and thought to be lost. Miraculously, in 2015 the original negative was discovered in a Tehran antique shop and smuggled out of the country where it is still banned. The drama features a score by female film composer Sheyda Gharachedaghi. (93 mins, video)
Director Mohammad Reza Aslani joins a panel of guests for a Cinema Revival conversation about Chess of the Wind. Read more.
*Please note: this presentation is limited to the first 400 viewers and is available only to audiences in Ohio, Pennsylvania, Kentucky, Indiana, Michigan.
View the complete 2021 Cinema Revival lineup.
Chess of the Wind | Image courtesy of Janus Films
Restored by The Film Foundation’s World Cinema Project and Cineteca di Bologna at L’Image Retrouvée laboratory (Paris) in collaboration with Mohammad Resa Aslani and Gita Aslani Shahrestani. Restoration funding provided by the Hobson/Lucas Family Foundation. Thank you to Janus Films for their cooperation.
FILM/VIDEO PROGRAMS MADE POSSIBLE BY Cardinal Health Kaufman Development
ADDITIONAL SUPPORT PROVIDED BY Rohauer Collection Foundation
WEXNER CENTER PROGRAMS MADE POSSIBLE BY Greater Columbus Arts Council Mary and C. Robert Kidder L Brands Foundation American Electric Power Foundation The Columbus Foundation Ohio Arts Council Bill and Sheila Lambert Institute of Museum and Library Services Huntington Nationwide Foundation Adam R. Flatto Vorys, Sater, Seymour, and Pease Arlene and Michael Weiss
ADDITIONAL SUPPORT PROVIDED BY Carol and David Aronowitz Michael and Paige Crane Axium Plastics Fenwick & West LLP Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams KDC/ONE M/I Homes Ohio State Energy Partners Washington Prime Group Lisa Barton Russell and Joyce Gertmenian Liza Kessler and Greg Henchel Nancy Kramer Matrix Psychological Services Paramount Group, Inc. Bruce and Joy Soll Business Furniture Installations CASTO E.C. Provini Co, Inc. M-Engineering New England Development Our Country Home ProAmpac
Past Film/Video
Chess of the Wind