By Colin Sharp
Iranian cinema finding success under tyranny
Strict censorship laws have not quashed the fighting spirit of Iranian cinema and filmmakers
Iran has been making headlines every day for the wrong reasons as far as recent memory goes. Nuclear ambitions and a potential war are painting the Persian nation in a bad light, but two weeks ago, Iran had some good international attention for a change.
A Separation won an Oscar for best foreign film, breaking new ground for Iranian cinema as it was the first to win such an award. Director and screenwriter Asghar Farhadi’s acceptance speech was not politically charged, but did refer to Iran as a “rich an ancient culture that has been hidden under the heavy dust of politics.” The statement doubled as commentary on the present situation of cinema and arts in Iran.
Iranian cinema is considered among the best in the world, its filmmakers often praised at international film festivals from Venice to Berlin. This is possibly the only upside to the screening ban of international films in the country following the 1979 revolution. It reached its golden age in the ‘80s and ‘90s, with war, women’s rights, social issues, and more recently, drug abuse, forming important themes with Iranian cinema.
Movie genres central to Western pop culture, such as the romantic comedy, family comedy, and drama, are popular in Iran as well, though Iranian filmmakers are pressed to find new techniques to create excitement and convey feeling — the religious government mandated a ban of overtly sexual themes and gratuitous violence, which makes the mood and pace of Iranian cinema strikingly different from Western movies.
But life is hard for the creative class in a country whose media laws are curled up in the iron fist of the theocratic regime. Those involved in film must tread a fine line between making a political statement and jail. Even as Iranian cinema blossomed in the 1980s, any films with controversial or critical messages drew immediate attention from religious leaders. As the Iran–Iraq war raged, several cinematographers created harrowing depictions of the conflict that would take the lives of over one million Iranians. Movies that were supportive of the war effort were embraced, but the many which portrayed the gritty reality of war did not receive the support they may have deserved.
Barzakhiha (“The Imperiled”), a film following the story of three escaped prisoners who get caught up into the frontline of the war, was not banned like other anti-war pictures, but it created such controversy that it led to the dismissal of the minister of culture and Islamic guidance, and effectively ended the careers of its three main actors. This was 1982.
More recently in 2001, renowned feminist filmmaker Tahmineh Milani came under fire for Nimeh-ye Panhan (“The Hidden Half”), which had scenes detailing the early days of the 1979 revolution, for which Milani was arrested on charges of being an anti-revolutionary, though backlash from the international community led to her release. This arguably ended her publicly political streak — Milani’s latest picture, Yeki Az Ma Do Nafar (“One of We Two”), is a romantic comedy similar to the ones found in Western theaters.
The issue of censorship was brought to the forefront of the public mind late last year, when six documentary filmmakers working for the BBC Persian Service were arrested on accusations of conspiracy in relation to a critical documentary on the life of the current supreme leader of the Islamic Republic, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Unfortunately, the arrests are nothing out of the ordinary. Iran is the largest jailer of journalists, documentary filmmakers, and cinematographers. Two world famous Iranian directors, Abbas Kiarostami and Jafar Panahi, are currently living abroad and in jail respectively. Kiarostami has forcefully come out against the arrests of Panahi, his former protegé who was arrested in late 2010 on charges of intent to jeopardize national security and creating propaganda against the Islamic Republic.
Even in triumph, there’s no escaping censorship. A line in Asghar Farhadi’s Oscar acceptance speech was changed in a report by the Iranian state TV, from referring to the Iranian people as one that “respects all cultures and civilizations and despise hostility and resentment,” to that “the Iranian people respect all cultures despite the Western hostility towards the Iranian nuclear program.” Farhadi originally made no mention of the Iranian nuclear program.
It is unfortunate that those in power seemingly do not wish it to happen, but as long as Iran has people like Asghar Fahradi and Abbas Kiarostami, its cinematic library will continue to grow and impact the world, one film at a time.
$50,000 memorial fund made in Batalia’s honour
By Sahira Memon
The fund, in memory of Maple Batalia, an SFU student who was murdered last year, will go towards health science students
The Maple Batalia memorial fund, created by the family of the slain SFU health sciences student, has reached its fund raising goal of $50,000 in time for what would have been her 20th birthday.
“It’s been really nice to see people come together for our cause,” said Batalia’s older sister Roseleen Batalia to The Province.
The fund was originally created in mid-December of last year with an initial contribution of $10,000 made by Batalia’s family. Over the past few months, through a tribute from Central City Model Search, support from the Surrey city councillor Barinder Rasode, a $13,000 gift from Gateway Casinos and Entertainment Limited, and the ongoing effort from her family, their goal of $50,000 has become a reality.
“It has been amazing to watch the community work together to create this memorial in Maple’s honour,” said Joanne Curry, executive director of SFU’s Surrey campus.
The memorial fund will be used to support women in the Faculty of Health Sciences, and is one of the first bursaries aimed specifically at that faculty.
Batalia was shot and killed in the parkade of the Surrey campus on September 28, 2011. Her unfortunate death has become a spark, setting off a wave of support for the family from the communities surrounding the news. Of the extensive community response, some examples are multiple candlelight vigils, countless Facebook groups, and a tribute to Batalia at the Central City Model Search, in which Maple had been a contestant.
As of yet, there have been no arrests made in the case. The Integrated Homicide Investigation Team (IHIT) is still attempting to find the person responsible for killing the aspiring model. So far, investigators have been successful in seizing a white Dodge Charger believed to have been belonged to the suspect, and have made appeals to possible witnesses seen on security footage around the time of the accident to step forward. The family and all those surrounding them, including the SFU community, are eager for justice to be served in this tragic incident.
Campus Update: March 12th
SFU Lipdub to start filming, UBC on moon
Excitement is high amongst all three campuses as the long-awaited SFU Lipdub is slated to finally begin filming, 11 months after the release of the UBC Lidub.
UBC president Stephen Toope wished the SFU students luck in the production of their lipdub and regrets not being able to watch in person, as UBC prepares to launch an expedition to the moon.
“We look forward to watching the SFU student population singing and dancing their hearts out, from the array of screens in the UBC lunar exploration dome.”
In response to this, the newly instated SF-Moon club, has vowed to start construction of a space faring vessel, 17 months from now.
Chartwells to begin selling food
Citing a growing demand for a centralized on-campus food provider, the Chartwells corporation, will begin offering food services, as another facet of their multinational presence.
Although the company is best known for their production of poly-propophenylalabutamethylene products and industrial pesticides, Chartwells CEO Josef Buchow told The Peak, “It’s the next logical step for us. You’d be surprised how much of our equipment can be repurposed for food preparation. This rivet stripper, for instance, can debone a chicken in 0.21 seconds.”
“If we can build the tanks that won the Korean War, we can serve a couple of students lunch.”
—Johnny Rockets
First-year challenges presidency
Shock and awe was the general reaction among the gathered crowds last week as first-year Percy Keyes publicly challenged President Andrew Petter to prove his presidency in a contest of wills.
Citing an age-old by-law from the original charter inacted in 1965 when the university was first established, the bylaw itself (14A) states:
“The dominion of the master may be challenged, and by the spilling of blood shall his ownership be rendered null.”
The duel between the two parties lasted approximately three minutes, until Petter bisected the undergrad with a single swing of his great sword. Keyes’ head will remain on display on a pike in the AQ, as a warning to all future challengers
-—Polina Yuvchenko
Movie review: John Carter
Even after five years and $250 million of development, the story of John Carter falls short of expectations
John Carter may be rated PG-13, but there is no lack of action and bloodshed, amplified by special effects and 3D glasses. Adapted by Disney from the 1912 novel A Princess of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs, the movie takes place just after the American Civil War.
Taylor Kitsch plays war-weary former Confederate captain John Carter who is first seen in Arizona, searching for gold in the land of the Apache Indians. Hiding in a cave from Apaches, he stumbles on a medallion that teleports him to the planet Mars — or Barsoom — where he’s reluctantly thrown into the planet’s conflict.
As the hero of the epic, all John Carter needs is a beautiful princess in distress for the plot to move forward. Enter Princess Dejah of Helium, love interest, who fully fulfills the on-screen romance. Cheesy love scenes are plentiful, with one that ends with her asking “Will you stay and fight for me; will you fight for Barsoom?”
If the scenes focused more on unfolding the story rather than on Princess Dejah’s barely-there outfits, perhaps the audience would be left less bewildered by random rivers and flying machines.
Director Andrew Stanton, who deviates from his usual repetoire of Pixar animations in taking on this film, allegedly went over budget for the production that Wall Street analysts predict will cost Disney a loss of at least $100 million.
You’d think that having worked on the project with passion for years and spent so much money, it would be a well developed success but it was so overloaded by special effects and action sequences that it couldn’t go deep into the story.
The first trailer was released almost a year before the movie was released, with an extended commercial trailer promoting its release during the Super Bowl.
John Carter has been met with mixed reviews, and it has not lived up to the critical expectations of a film that took so much planning, but the blend of history, science fiction, action, and romance makes it easy to enjoy.
University Briefs
B.C. government to cut higher education funding
The British Columbia government announced last week that it will be cutting $70 million in funding from advanced education. The cuts, which only amount to 2.2 per cent of the government’s current funding total, are supposed to come from “administrative savings”.
Fire at UBC residence caused by cigarette
A fire at the University of British Columbia’s Gage residence tower last Wednesday was a result of a poorly discarded cigarette. The fire, which started in a recycling bin on the 16th floor of the south tower, did not cause any injuries and students were able to return to the building shortly after it was extinguished.
Carleton prof faces criticism for anti-climate change class
A Carleton University earth sciences professor faced academic criticism for running a class whichz featured speakers who denied human involvement in global climate change without informing of the general scientific consensus. The Committee for the Advancement of Scientific Criticism compiled a 98-page report offering 148 corrections to claims made during the 12-lecture class.
McGill shuts down “wikileaks“ university website
Officials at McGill University in Montreal shut down a wikileaks-style website which exposed information about donors to the university. McGill administration and Montreal police are investigating the source of the information breach, saying that it was malicious in nature.
UBC research investigated for cruelty to monkeys
The British Columbia SPCA has announced that it is investigating the treatment of macaque monkeys at UBC’s brain research facilities. The Stop UBC Animal Research group alleges that four monkeys were killed after being injected by neurotoxins, a practice they say is part of cruel treatment of the research animals.
— Ariane Madden
SFU’s International Studies program to award degree to anyone that watched #KONY2012 film
By Colin Sharp
Due to the overnight success of the charity Invisible Children’s #KONY2012 campaign and their associated video, SFU’s international studies department has decided that anyone who watched the video should be awarded a full degree from the program.
Thanks to social media outlets like Facebook and Twitter, the video and the campaign were shared with millions of people over the last few days. Anyone who watched the 30 minute film was exposed to absolutely every relevant piece of information about the entire conflict, and is now able to make highly informed and intelligent decisions without doing any further research. It is a remarkable accomplishment by the director, especially since he spent a third of the film talking about himself and his kid instead of the actual issue.
The international studies program has recognized the impact of the film and determined that they really don’t have anything else to contribute.
“Yeah, the video kind of nailed it,” said Joshua Russel, the department chair. “I don’t think any of us in the program have anything left to add. I mean, how much benefit will people get from understanding the other side of the argument or the history of conflict in the area? Let’s just focus on killing the one dude instead of working on the larger problem.”
Critics have questioned international studies’ decision to award these degrees, suggesting that it cheapens the importance of actually knowing things in academia. International studies has responded by saying that these people are all being cynics and if they question the cause then they might as well be personally handing out AK-47s to African children.
Despite the controversy, supporters that are new to the campaign are thrilled to be part of such an important cause. When asked what he thought of Invisible Children’s methods in Africa, supporter Cameron James told The Peak, “These t-shirts are super cool.” When we asked the question again, slowly and using extremely simple language, James said “Oh man, and these bracelets are rad. You gonna buy an action kit bro?”
Invisible Children is a group seeking to raise awareness regarding the war crimes of Joseph Kony, a Ugandan warlord who has been using child soldiers in his Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) since 1986. A major part of this is an extensive worldwide postering campaign planned for April 20th. Presumably this is so they can target stoners, a group known largely for their ability to quickly and effectively accomplish goals.
If you have watched the film, international studies is encouraging you to contact them regarding your degree. If you haven’t seen the film, but are still interested in turning your activism into a degree, the education, criminology, and earth sciences programs are all awarding transfer credit for that time you raised awareness about violence against child by changing your profile picture to a cartoon.
SFU grad-directed documentary released
Footage of the eider duck and Nunavut’s Sanikiluaq community in it spans over seven winters
A Ph.D project to create an underwater camera system to view the eider duck diving below sea ice was the inspiration for SFU grad student Joel Heath’s award-winning documentary People of a Feather. Evan Warner and Jocelyne Chaput, both graduates from SFU’s film program, were involved in post-production of the documentary, and film professor Colin Browne was a key consultant in the project.
“Film is the ultimate medium of communication,” said Heath. “We figured the underwater footage we were already getting from the project could be turned into a way to let people know about life in the Arctic and see the changes that we were seeing.”
Beginning in 2002, Heath followed the Inuit living on Belcher Islands in Hudson Bay, and learned far more than just the ecological knowledge he had been seeking through his work and research. Hydroelectric mega-projects near Hudson Bay have upset the ocean currents and sea ice ecosystems in the area, and the Inuit have been worried over the habitat changes that have led to increased winter die-offs of the eider duck, since they do not migrate south in the winter, as they can dive for food in ice-free areas. The pivotal role which eider ducks play in the Sanikiluaq community, which relies on subsistence hunting, is chronicled in People of a Feather.
Heath’s first-hand experience of the area and the growing environmental and cultural divide that has gone largely unaddressed moved him to begin documenting the relationship between the Inuit people and the eider ducks. “In many ways I risked my academic career to make this film, but I knew it would be worth it, and now I am sure,” said Heath. “Through the whole process I understand much more about Inuit ways of knowing, and it has affected my perspective on everything in life.”
People of a Feather has already received rave reviews and awards, and made the top-10 list for Most Popular Canadian Film at the Vancouver International Film Festival. People of a Feather portrays the detrimental effects of our lifestyle on the environment, but also places it into a cultural perspective, and shows how distressing this can be to traditional communities such as the Inuit community seen in Heath’s documentary.
People of a Feather is showing at the Rio Theatre until March 10.
