Middle East Studies

Film Screening | Leila (1997) | Iranian Cinema Series S24

Iranian Cinema: Dariush Mehrjui: A Retrospective

Tuesday, April 2, 2024

5:00 - 7:00 p.m.

195 Angell, Room 202

About the Series

The Center for Language Studies and Cogut Institute for the Humanities invite you to join us for a series of five film screenings through which we will explore the decades-long career of renowned Iranian director Dariush Mehrjui. In the wake of Mehrjui’s tragic murder in Tehran in October 2023, we aim to pause and take stock of this remarkable filmmaker and his contributions to cinema, both domestic and global, and his command over wide range of modes, from comedy to family drama. In particular, please join us for a special event on Tuesday, February 13 hosted by the Cogut Institute’s Film-Thinking Series, which will feature a screening followed by a panel discussion with experts on Iranian cinema. All films will be screened with English subtitles.

About the Film

A happily married couple hits a major roadblock when they realize Leila is unable to get pregnant and give her husband Reza the child his family so desperately wants. Under pressure from Reza’s family, Leila goes to extreme lengths to solve their fertility issues. Mehrjui’s heart-wrenching film is a complex study of traditional family expectations and gender roles that portrays each character in a vivid chiaroscuro of sympathy and blame. 102 min.

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