Radio Dreams is a 2016 American film by Iranian-born film director Babak Jalali.[3] Inspired by a group of real life Iranian Metallica fans, calling themselves the Persian Magnetic,[3] and the realities of expatriate life of the Iranian diaspora in the United States.[4]
| Radio Dreams | |
|---|---|
 Radio Dreams promotional poster | |
| رویاهای رادیویی | |
| Directed by | Babak Jalali[1] |
| Written by | Babak Jalali, Aida Ahadiany[1] |
| Produced by | Marjaneh Moghimi[1] |
| Cinematography | Noaz Deshe[1] |
Production company | Butimar[1] |
| Distributed by | Reel Suspects[1] |
Release date |
|
Running time | 91 minutes |
| Countries | United States Iran |
| Languages | English, Persian |
| Budget | US$ 300,000[2] |
The film Radio Dreams won the 2016 Tiger Award at the International Film Festival Rotterdam,[3] and Jalali[2] won the Best Director Award at Andrey Tarkovsky Film Festival in Russia. In 2016 the film was shown at the 32nd Warsaw Film Festival in the "Discoveries" section.[5]
Plot
editHamid Royani is the station manager at Pars-FM Radio, the Bay Area's premiere Persian language radio station.[4] As everyone at Pars-FM looks forward to a continuously delayed jam session by Afghan rock band Kabul Dreams with metal legends Metallica, Royani despairs. As a respected man of the arts in his homeland, he must struggle against the commercial demands of the station's owners; erudite and eloquent in his own tongue, he must face the ups and downs of everyday life in a land where he can hardly speak the language.
Cast
edit- Mohsen Namjoo as Hamid Royani[4]
- Lars Ulrich as himself[6][4]
- Boshra Dastournezhad as Maral Afshar[7]
- Kabul Dreams (Sulyman Qardash, Siddique Ahmed, Raby Adib) as themselves[6][8]
- Bella Warda as Sherbet[9]
- Mohammad Talani as Reza Gerami
- Babak Mortazavi as Jamshid
- Mahmood Schricker as Morad
- Keyumars Hakim as Sohrab Afshar
- Leila Shahrestani as Leila Shahrestani
- Ali Tahbaz as Yashar
- Mansur Taeed as Dr. Jim Rakhshandeh
- Larry Laverty as TV reporter
- Kyle Kernan as wrestling coach
- Casimir Carothers as little drumming boy
- Fat Dog as guitar salesman
- Litz Plummer as opera singer
Production
editMarjaneh Moghimi, a producer of community documentaries, was looking to produce her first fictional feature and approached Babak Jalali to helm it.[2] A personal friend of Mohsen Namjoo, Moghimi introduced him to Jalali;[2] at the same time Kabul Dreams had just decided to relocate to the United States, and around these cast members the story was written. With a minimal budget of US$300,000, a virtue was made of necessity and the story that developed staged the action within the span of a day within the confines of a radio station.[2] This setting in turn was to play a part in the lighting and camera setups used by cinematographer Noaz Deshe.[1] The design of the film poster was made by design agency, Ceft and Company New York.[10]
Reception
editNeil Young of The Hollywood Reporter described the film as, "presenting a nuanced, intelligent and consistently droll take on hot-button subjects of immigration, identity and cultural assimilation..." and that it "stand[s] comparison with the finest radio-themed enterprises of the current century..."[1]
Writing in Variety, critic Catherine Bray called the film a "quietly satisfying gem..." and a "deserving Tiger competition winner at Rotterdam..."[11]
Awards and nominations
edit| Year | Award | Category | Result | Recipient | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | International Film Festival Rotterdam | Tiger Award | Won | Radio Dreams | [3][11][6] |
| 2016 | Seattle International Film Festival | Special Jury Mention | Won | Radio Dreams | [12] |
| 2016 | Durban International Film Festival | Best Actor: Mohsen Namjoo | Won | Radio Dreams | [13][9] |
| 2016 | Andrey Tarkovsky International Film Festival | Best Director | Won | Radio Dreams | [13] |
| 2016 | International Film Festival Rotterdam | Best Film | Won | Radio Dreams | [13] |
See also
edit
References
edit- ^ a b c d e f g h Young, Niel (3 February 2016). "'Radio Dreams': Rotterdam Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 5 March 2016.
- ^ a b c d e Goodfellow, Melanie (31 January 2016). "Tiger directors: Babak Jalali, 'Radio Dreams'". Screen Daily. Retrieved 5 March 2016.
- ^ a b c d Griffiths, Michael (4 March 2016). "Metallica and their secret 'Persian Magnetic' fans ignoring the ban on metal music in Iran". The Independent. Retrieved 5 March 2016.
- ^ a b c d Kenny, Glenn (2017-06-01). "Review: 'Radio Dreams' Builds a Spiritual Home for Stateless Souls". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2022-04-14.
- ^ Radio Dreams at the 32nd Warsaw Film Festival.
- ^ a b c "مهاجرت، محسن نامجو و متالیکا؛ گفتوگو با کارگردان 'رویاهای رادیویی'". BBC News فارسی (in Persian). February 6, 2016. Retrieved 2022-04-14.
- ^ "Radio Dreams will make you tune in". NOW Magazine. 2017-06-29. Retrieved 2022-04-14.
- ^ Allen, Nick (June 2, 2017). "Radio Dreams movie review & film summary (2017)". Roger Ebert. Retrieved 2022-04-14.
- ^ a b "Afghan Rockers Meet Metallica In Award-Winning Iranian Movie". Kayhan Life. 2017-05-17. Retrieved 2022-04-14.
- ^ "collateral: radio dreams film poster design for butimar productions | ceft and company new york". www.ceftandcompany.com. Retrieved 2016-06-23.
- ^ a b Bray, Catherine (10 February 2016). "Film Review: 'Radio Dreams'". Variety. Retrieved 5 March 2016.
- ^ Huey, Sara. "Captain Fantastic, Gleason, Girl Asleep Win Top Awards at the 42nd Seattle International Film Festival". Siff.net. Retrieved 2022-04-14.
- ^ a b c "Radio Dreams: A Tower Theater Exclusive". Miami Art Guide. 2017-08-02. Retrieved 2022-04-14.
External links
edit- Radio Dreams at IMDb
- "گفتگوی اختصاصی با بابک جلالی و مرجانه مقیمی در مورد فیلم سینمایی". Persian Magnetic. 23 March 2015. Retrieved 5 March 2016.
- "Radio Dreams". IFFR.com. International Film Festival Rotterdam. 25 January 2016. Retrieved 5 March 2016.
- Radio Dreams at Reel Suspects (distribution company website)