Behrouz screening with Q&A Behrouz Vossoughi

Distribution by:

Cyrus Gala & C.C.T with CINEIRAN

Media: HODHOD MEDIA & REMi Journal

ABOUT THE MOVIE

“Behrouz Vossoughi, Unfinished” is a documentary about Behrouz Vossoughi one of Iran’s greatest Iranian actors who has been living in exile for more than 30 years. This documentary will be the first portrayal of the life of a great actor, a story that many in his homeland are impatiently waiting to experience. It will be the first time that a camera has been allowed into the private life of an artist whose life is intricately tied to that of his nation’s history and culture. “Behrouz Vossoughi, Unfinished” documents the creation and unraveling of myths our contemporary life.

In the history of Iranian cinema, one name stands out as the most popular, the most celebrated and by far the most sought­after actor of his day: Behrooz Voshooughi. Vossoughi is an actor whose popularity cuts across class, cultural and social boundaries of his society. With over 90 films in his past, he has set the standard for acting for generations of Iranian actors to come. Behrooz Vossoughi was the superstar of Iranian cinema and the first choice of actors for the directors of his day until the 1979 Islamic Revolution. After the great upheaval, he, alongside many in his profession, was forced into exile and eventually found his way to the United States. It was not easy finding himself in a new land surrounded by an unfamiliar language and Vossoughi was not willing to compromise his talent and pride to accept roles that he saw as demeaning or stereotypical. Vossoughi, unlike many of his colleagues, chose silence as a way to safeguard his pride and legacy.

The absence of a great actor such as Vossoughi in today’s Iranian cinema has many political, historical and social reasons­ all of which signal a huge blow to Iranian culture and cultural production. He continues to be a major figure in Iranian cinema, although he has not played in any films of his native land for the past thirty years.

Sepehr Mikaeilian is an Iranian-born filmmaker living in New York City. He started his studies in performing arts at the Iranian National Radio and Television Academy and later majored in Theatrical Arts at the College of Art and Architecture at the Open University of Iran.

For the past decade Mikailian has been active in various aspects of production in Iranian cinema not only as assistant director and producer, but also as cinematographer, videographer and actor. His production experience exceeds 20 feature films including assistant to Bahman Ghobadi in No One Knows About Persian Cats and Rhino Season and production coordinator for over 15 documentaries for Iranian and international venues such as Aljazeerah English, ARTE and Canal Plus.

Mikaeilian began directing and producing his first documentary upon migrating to the US in 2010. Counting Down the Years (working title) portrays the life in exile of the legendary Iranian actor Behrooz Vossoughi who has been living in the US for the past 30 years.