Persian Cats Rock Out
There’s a new movie coming out in April that I thought would interest the Taqwacore crew. It’s not punk, per se – it’s “indie rock” – but rock music in a revolution seems pretty punk to me.
Some more info on the movie:
Co—written by imprisoned Iranian—American journalist Roxana Saberi, the film is an indictment of cultural repression in Irans exciting underground music scene, a powerful cinematic foreshadowing of current protest movements, and a celebration of an entire generation of Iranians striving towards personal and creative freedom. Shot in secret and featuring extraordinary performances by real underground bands, No One Knows About Persian Cats follows a pair of young musicians, recently released from prison, on a mission to take their rock band to Europe.
I’m pretty excited to hear that Roxana Saberi was involved in this project. The bands involved in the movie are all local to Iran and include Take It Easy Hospital, Hich-kas, Mahdyar Aghajani, and The Yellow Dogs. I’m totally digging the raw rock sound of The Yellow Dogs and they’ll be at SXSW for the madness that is sure to ensue. I hadn’t heard anything about the movie before today, but can’t wait to watch it. Has anyone else heard anything about this film? Are there other films we should keep an eye out for in the upcoming months?
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Tanzila “Taz” Ahmed is an activist and writer living in Los Angeles. She is the Founder of South Asian American Voting Youth (SAAVY), an aspiring novelist and a long-time blogger for the popular South Asian blog Sepia Mutiny.
