Secret Ballot (2001) One More Day (2000)

Payami's first two features display his rare gift for combining subtle humor with a thinly veiled criticism of Iran's repressive theocratic government.

A special guest for tonight's screening is Nassim Abdi, the lead actress in Secret Ballot, who takes part in a brief discussion after the film's screening.

Second feature start time: 9 pm. The absurdist comedy Secret Ballot follows a determined female pollster as she tries to track down voters in a sparsely populated area. Her guide, a taciturn soldier not accustomed to taking orders from a woman, provides much of the humor in a film that also manages to critique Iran's electoral process and its consignment of women to second-class status. (105 mins.)

Set against the busy streets of Tehran and the reality of the city's segregated buses, One More Day examines the restrained but growing attraction between a man and woman who meet each morning at a bus stop. (75 mins.)

The Wexner Center was thrilled to discover that Nassim Abdi, the lead actress in Secret Ballot, is currently a grad student at Bowling Green State University. She takes part in a brief discussion after the film's screening and will be on hand for the 6 pm reception before the screening of The Silence Between Two Thoughts on February 19. Her performance in Secret Ballot is a beautiful display of understated comedy, and we look forward to welcoming her.

support credits

Season support provided by the Rohauer Collection Foundation and the Corporate Annual Fund of the Wexner Center Foundation.

Contemporary films, international films, and visiting filmmakers presented with support from the Ohio Arts Council.