No One Knows About Persian Cats

“The close-to-the-ground style of this faux documentary shot in secret captures the energy and variety of Tehran’s music scene in all its bravery.” –Lisa Schwarzbaum, Entertainment Weekly

“Will make anyone who had grown cynical about the transformative, galvanizing power of popular music think, and possibly believe, again.”—A. O. Scott, New York Times

The winner of the Un Certain Regard Jury Prize at the Cannes Film Festival, No One Knows About Persian Cats is the fifth feature by award-winning director Bahman Ghobadi. 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 cowritten by imprisoned Iranian-American journalist Roxana Saberi, No One Knows About Persian Cats features extraordinary performances by real underground bands. The story 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—and vow 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. (101 mins., 35mm)