Firoozeh Dumas' visit to the Sacramento State Campus on Friday, October 15, 2008, was filled with a variety of events for the campus community, culminating in a book signing and free evening lecture open to the public. Events related to the One Book Program will be taking place throughout the year. Details will be posted in the forthcoming months as they become available.

Persia: Journey Thorugh Art
Free Public Lecture by Mehri Yazdani - Event Flyer (PDF)
Sponsored by: One Book Program, University Library, Community Engagement Center, English Department, Iranian and Middle Eastern Studies Center

Dates: Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Time: Noon to 1:30pm
Location: University Library Art Gallery
Cost: Free and open to the public
Parking: Daily Permit Required; campus map

Two Weeks of Modern Iranian Films: March 16-March 27, 2009
Presented by University Library

Dates: please click film title for description

Monday, March 16, 2009: 9:00AM, 12:00PM, 3:00PM, 6:00PM. "Iran, A Cinematographic Revolution" (2007),
Runtime 98 min

This documentary chronicles how Iranian films have reflected contemporaneous society and often presaged social change. The film traces the development of the Iranian film industry, which has always been closely intertwined with the country's tumultuous political history, from the decades-long reign of Reza Shah Pahlevi and his son, the rise of Khomeini and the birth of the Islamic Republic, the seizure by militants of the U.S. Embassy in Tehran, and the devastating war with Iraq. ~ From the website of Icarus Films.

Tuesday, March 17, 2009: 9:00AM, 12:00PM, 3:00PM, 6:00PM. "The Day I Became a Woman" (2000),
Runtime: 78 Min

Directed by Marzieh Meshkini, wife of acclaimed Iranian filmmaker Mohsen Makhmalbaf, this film tells three intertwined tales of women's struggle for identity in their native country, from the young to the elderly. Episode one, entitled "Havva," concerns a young girl on the morning of her ninth birthday. Against her better wishes, she is forced to stay home, away from her best friend who has asked her to play with him, due to her mother and grandmother's proclamation that she is now a woman. Learning she was born at noon, the young girl requests one more hour to do what she wishes so she can be a girl one last time. Episode two, entitled "Ahoo," follows a young woman who is being pursued on horseback by her stern husband, whom she is fleeing on bicycle in the midst of a women's biking race. Soon, her in-laws and relatives are also pursuing her, and she must make a quick decision about whether or not to return to family life. The final episode, called "Houra," follows an elderly woman who enlists the help of a young boy and his friends to take her on a shopping spree, where she intends to buy all of the things she has ever wanted out of life. ~ Jason Clark, All Movie Guide

Wednesday, March 18, 2009: 9:00AM, 12:00PM, 3:00PM, 6:00PM. "Under the Skin of the City" (2001),
Runtime: 93 Min

Rakhshan Bani Etemad's urban drama centers on Tuba (Golab Adineh), a factory worker and matriarch of a raucous Tehran family. Her older daughter is pregnant and married to an abusive husband. The younger one, a high school student, is consumed with worry over a neighbor girl who suffers abuse at the hands of her father. Her youngest son is caught up in political radicalism and in danger of derailing his college aspirations, and the older one, Abbas (Mohammad Reza Forutan), is disgusted with his dead-end job and will do almost anything to realize his dream of moving to Japan to support the family. After losing all his money in what turns out to be a scam, Abbas' desperation gets the better of his judgement and he becomes involved in a drug deal that nearly costs him his life. ~ Tom Vick, All Movie Guide

Thursday, March 19: 9:00AM, 12:00PM, 3:00PM, 6:00PM. "The Fifth Reaction" (2005),
Runtime: 107 Min

Iranian feminist filmmaker Tahmineh Milani directs the action-drama Vakonesh-e Panjom (The Fifth Reaction). Recently widowed Fereshteh (Niki Karimi) is sent away by her father-in-law Hadji (Jamshid Hashempour), who now holds legal guardianship over her two boys. In order to maintain custody of her children, she sets out on a perilous journey across Iran with the help of some local women. However, Hadji uses his powerful position in the trucking industry to get random truck drivers to chase after her. The Fifth Reaction was filmed at the 2003 Cannes Film Festival market. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, All Movie Guide

Friday, March 20, 2009: 9:00AM, 12:00PM, 3:00PM. "The Lizard" (2004),
Runtime: 97 Min

A crook gets a crash course in offering moral guidance in this Iranian comedy. Reza (Parviz Parastui) is a thief known to his underworld cronies as "The Lizard" thanks to his gift for scaling walls and climbing buildings. However, Reza's talent doesn't prevent him from being periodically caught by police; he's sent to a prison where the warden, who regards Reza as morally corrupt, takes it upon himself to torture him into a more spiritually pure state. Reza soon strikes up a friendship with a mullah (an Islamic priest) who offers a more benevolent and humanistic spiritual viewpoint. But, while Reza admires the mullah, that doesn't stop him from taking the holy man's clothes as a disguise for an escape attempt. Reza's plan works, but circumstances dictate that he must continue to pose as a mullah when the over-enthusiastic congregation at a mosque mistake him for their new leader, and he finds himself forced to offer spiritual advice based on his gut feelings rather than any extensive Islamic teachings. A major box-office success in Iran that broke box-office records, Marmoulak (aka The Lizard) also won the audience award at Tehran's Fajr Film Festival. Though popular, the film was increasingly controversial in its home country and was banned in some areas; pressure from clerics, the judiciary, and the Culture Ministry eventually led the filmmakers to withdraw it from theaters in May of 2004 (it had premiered in April and was expected to run until at least July). ~ Mark Deming. All Movie Guide

Monday, March 23, 2009: 9:00AM, 12:00PM, 3:00PM, 6:00PM. "20 Fingers" (2004),
Runtime: 72 Min

A film in several episodes with Bijan Daneshmand and Mania Akbari, exposing some of the issues of men and women within the confines of tradition and family life in Iran. Each episode is devoted to various life situations and displays a different form of male/female interaction. The placing of the actors in a moving vehicle or against a moving back drop signifies the movement of life despite all the obstacles in its way. The film deals with the roots of dependencies, limitations, power struggles and conflict that are the familiar stuff of life of couples in the Middle East. ~ Setareh Moayed Sabeti, IMDb

Tuesday, March 24, 2009: 9:00AM, 12:00PM, 3:00PM, 6:00PM. "Offside" (2005),
Runtime: 92 Min

A handful of girls struggle to make their way into the man's world of an Iranian soccer stadium in this comedy from writer and director Jafar Panahi. World Cup season is just around the corner, and Iran's team is playing a game against Bahrain that will determine who will be competing in soccer's greatest tournament. Nearly everyone in Tehran seems to be abuzz with excitement over the game, through officially soccer in Iran is quite literally for men only -- no women are allowed inside the stadium, and women's interest in the game is severely frowned upon. But that doesn't stop a number of girls from all over the city from trying to crash the game dressed up as boys; while some succeed, others are unable to fool security, and are sent to a holding bullpen in the stadium where they can hear the cheers of the crowd but can't see the game. One of the policemen watching over the girls (who range from rowdy tomboys to quiet and bookish types) is sympathetic and keeps them updated on the score and key plays, while another is a petty bureaucrat who suffers the mockery of his "prisoners." Offside received its North American premiere at the 2006 Toronto Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming. All Movie Guide

Wednesday, March 25, 2009: 9:00AM, 12:00PM, 3:00PM, 6:00PM. "Half Moon: A Musician’s Last Journey" (2006),
Runtime: 107 Min

Director Bahman Ghobadi follows the success of Turtles Can Fly and A Time for Drunken Horses with this tale of an iconic Kurdish musician who, despite his failing health, determines to lead a dozen of his sons to Iraq for a concert staged to celebrate Saddam Hussein's fall and the end of the brutal Iraqi dictator's repression of Kurdish music. Authorization has just been granted for the concert, and upon receiving word of the upcoming musical celebration, Kako (Allah-Morad Rashtian) immediately procures a school bus and sets about rounding up his father, Mamo, and many brothers. Mamo is an elderly statesman of Kurdish music, and as the jovial collection of men make their way across the border between Iranian and Iraqi Kurdistan, they bear witness to a wide-ranging variety of sights both sublime and soul-scarring. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

Thursday, March 26, 2009: 9:00AM, 12:00PM, 3:00PM, 6:00PM. "Persepolis" (2007),
Runtime: 96 Min

Filmmakers Vincent Paronnaud and Marjane Satrapi collaborated to co-write and co-direct this adaptation of Satrapi's bestselling autobiographical graphic novel detailing the trials faced by an outspoken Iranian girl who finds her unique attitude and outlook on life repeatedly challenged during the Islamic revolution. The English-language version features the voice talents of Sean Penn, Gena Rowlands, and Iggy Pop, with Catherine Deneuve and Chiara Mastroianni reprising their roles from the original French-language version. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

Friday, March 27, 2009: 9:00AM, 12:00PM, 3:00PM. "Rick Steves’ Iran: Yesterday and Today" (2009),
Runtime: 60 Min

Join Rick as he explores the most surprising and fascinating land he’s ever visited: Iran. In this one-hour, ground-breaking travel special, you’ll discover the splendid monuments of Iran’s rich and glorious past, learn more about the 20th-century story of this perplexing nation, and experience Iranian life today in its historic capital and in a countryside village. Most important, you’ll meet the people of a nation whose government has so exasperated our own ~ Rick Steves.com

Time: Monday - Thursday 9:00AM, 12:00PM, 3:00PM, 6:00PM. Friday 9:00AM, 12:00PM, 3:00PM.
Location: University Library, Room 3023 and Room 136 (Films show in both rooms) See campus map
Cost: Free and open to the public
Parking: General On Campus parking

“Who is an American?”: An American-Immigrants Film Series
Presented by Hellen Lee-Keller, Assistant Professor, English Department
Co-sponsored by Sacramento State's Multi-Cultural Center

Dates: please click film title for description

Friday, September 12, 2008: "Sweet Land" (2006),
Runtime: 110 Min, Rated PG

Winner of the Audience Award for Best Narrative Feature at the 2005 Hamptons International Film Festival, Sweet Land is a poignant and lyrical celebration of land, love, and the American immigrant experience. Based on Will Weaver's short story, "A Grave Made of Wheat," "Sweet Land" is a flashback to 1920s Minnesota, when Lars Torvik's grandparents met on their wedding day that wasn't. It is a story of love and trial and strength of will and prejudice. It is the story of how the American heartland was settled by immigrants. Olaf and Inge represent the grandparents and great-grandparents of many Americans. Written and directed by Ali Salim, himself the son of first-generation immigrants.

Wednesday, September 24, 2008: "In America" (2003),
Runtime: 105 Min, Rated PG-13

Nominated for 3 Academy Awards, this is the story of a modern-day Irish family who crosses the Canadian border, headed for New York in a struggle to shake off their nightmares in search of their American dreams. While it may not be wealth and success that they find, there is a neighbor who gives them friendship and helps them to finally attain peace. Writer/director Jim Sheridan ("In the Name of the Father" 1993, and "My Left Foot" 1989) needed to look no further than his own childhood for inspiration for this film.

Friday, October 17, 2008: "Lana's Rain" (2003),
Runtime: 107 Min, Rated R

Directed by Michael Ojeda, Ukrainian born actress Oksana Orlenko makes her American film debut in the title role which won her a Best Actress award in the Milan International Film Festival. Clinging to the only family she has left, Lana accompanies her brother, Darko (Nickolai Stoilov) to the U.S., leaving Croatia following the Balkan Wars. Darko has survived through criminal activity in Eastern Europe and this is all he knows. But Lana wants simple things and a new life in America.

Wednesday, October 29, 2008: "Saving Face" (2004),
Runtime: 91 Min, Rated R

Written and directed by Alice Wu, this is the story of a lesbian, Chinese-American doctor in Manhattan and her pregnant, unmarried mother. It is a film that faces taboos and the clash between first and second generation immigrants with a loving look at this mother-daughter relationship. (Michelle Krusiec, Joan Chen, and Lynn Chen)

Friday, November 7, 2008: "The Namesake" (2007),
Runtime: 122 Min, Rated PG-13

The story of the Ganguli family whose move from Calcutta to New York evokes a lifelong balancing act to meld to a new world without forgetting the old. Though parents Ashoke and Ashima (Irrfan Khan, Tabu) long for the family and culture that enveloped them in India, they take great pride in the opportunities their sacrifices have afforded their children.

Friday, November 21, 2008: "Real Women Have Curves" (2002),
Runtime: 90 Min, Rated PG-13

Ana (America Ferrera) has graduated from her east Los Angeles high school and won a full scholarship to Columbia University. Rather than support her own dreams, however, Ana's Mexican-American parents believe it is time for her to work and help to support the family. Spending the summer working in a sewing factory with other Chicanas, Ana learns a respect for these women and what is essential for her to make her own way in the world. Directed by Patricia Cardoso.

Time: 5:30 pm doors open , 5:45 pm showtime. Discussion follows each screening.
Location: Multi-Cultural Center, Library 1010 (first floor, adjacent to Java City)
Cost: Free and open to the public
Parking: TBA; campus map

A Hyphenated Existence: The Iranian-American Experience Through Funny in Farsi
An exhibit by the University Library
Date: Monday, October 6, 2008 through May, 2009
Time: Open during Library Business Hours
Location: University Library, 1st floor 2nd floor Mezzanine
Cost: Free and open to the public

The History of Iran from the Ancient to the Modern Period
A lecture and discussion by Professor Afshin Marashi, History Department
Date: Tuesday, October 7, 2008
Time: 3:00 pm - 4:30 pm
Location: Library Gallery
Cost: Free and open to the public
Parking: TBA; campus map

Funny in Farsi: Book Discussion for the Community
Date: Wednesday, October 8, 2008
Time:  6:30-8 pm
Location: University Library, Room 5006
Cost: Free and Open to the Public
Parking: TBA; campus map

Reflections on Funny in Farsi: An Exhibit of Art, Writing & Multimedia
Presented by Professor Vanessa Arnaud and HONR 1 students
Date: Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Time: 6 - 8 pm
Location: Library Gallery
Cost: Free and open to the public
Parking: TBA; campus map

First Year Q&A: One Book discussion
Date: Wednesday, October 15, 2008
Time: 10:00 am - 11:30 am
Location: University Union Ballroom
Cost: Free and open to first year students

An Evening with the Author: community lecture and book signing
Books available for purchase in advance through the hornet bookstore. Co-Sponsored by UNIQUE.
Date: Wednesday, October 15, 2008
Time: 7:00 pm - 8:45 pm
Location: University Union Ballroom
Cost: Free and open to the public
Parking: Free parking in Parking Structure III, 6th floor only; campus map (PDF)

US-Iran Relations in Historical Perspective
A lecture and discussion by Professor Bahman (Buzz) Fozouni, Government Department
Date: Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Time: 12:00 pm - 1:30 pm
Location: Foothill Suite, University Union
Cost: Free and open to the public
Parking: TBA; campus map

Funny in Farsi: Arden-Dimick Open Book Club
A book discussion led by Shelley Blanton-Stroud, English Department Lecturer
Date: Sunday, October 26
Time: 2:00-3:30 pm
Location: Arden-Dimick Public Library, 891 Watt Avenue, Sacramento, CA 95864
Cost: Free and open to the public

A Concert of Classical Persian Music
Sponsored by Sacramento State's Iranian and Middle-Eastern Studies Center
Date: Saturday, November 1, 2008
Time: 7:00 - 9:30 pm
Location: Sacramento State Music Recital Hall, Capistrano
Cost: Free and open to the public
Parking: TBA; campus map

last updated: 4/7/2009