U.S. Dramatic Centerpiece: Circumstance

(USA , Iran , Lebanon, 2011, 105 mins)

35mm

SCR: Maryam Keshavarz

• IMDB Film Info

In a vibrant contemporary Tehran, two beautiful teenage girls struggle for their personal freedom. Atafeh and her best friend Shireen are full of youthful exuberance and a healthy streak of rebellion as they drink, smoke and go dancing at underground parties. When Atafeh's brother Mehran returns from drug rehab, he embraces a new way of life and joins the Morality Police - much to the surprise of his affluent and liberal parents - and becomes increasingly obsessed with and involved in Atafeh and Shireen's intimate relationship.

Nikohl Boosheri (Atafeh), Sarah Kazemy (Shireen) and Reza Sixo Safai (Mehran) smolder on screen in their fearless and complex performances. A feast for the senses, CIRCUMSTANCE is the original vision of writer/director Maryam Keshavarz, whose first feature effort creates a stylish and sensual coming-of-age film, presenting a timely and important story of a new generation of women in Iran who dream of a place where they can be free.

Winner of the Audience Award: Dramatic at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival.

- Kim Yutani, Director of Programming

Maryam Keshavarz's first feature documentary, THE COLOR OF LOVE, an intimate portrait of the changing landscape of love and politics in Iran, won numerous awards at film festivals and was broadcast internationally. Her short THE DAY I DIED garnered accolades at the Mar del Plata International Film Festival, Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival, and New York Film Festival, and it was the only short to win two awards - a Teddy Award and an honorable mention for the Jury Prize - at the Berlin International Film Festival. CIRCUMSTANCE is Keshavarz’s first narrative feature.

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