The White Meadows
Encyclopedia
The White Meadows is a 2009 Iranian film
written, directed and produced by Mohammad Rasoulof. The film was edited by leading Iranian filmmaker Jafar Panahi
and stars Hassan Pourshirazi as Rahmat.
, collecting the heartaches and tears of its' inhabitants. But he remains powerless against their misguided attempts to appease the gods and make the land green again, whether by offering a bride to the sea or forcibly 'treating' the eyes of a painter who sees in different colors. Drawing firsthand on the challenges faced by Iranian artists of today, writer-director Mohammad Rasoulof's deeply atmospheric and poetical film is a gorgeous allegory of intolerance, brutality and mystified routin that resonates far beyond any one state's borders.
, Martin Scorsese
, and Oliver Stone
, have expressed solidarity with Rasoulof and Panahi. To read more about the film and Rasoulof's situation, check out The Global Film Initiative's blog post Forgettable Transcendence of The White Meadows.
In January 2011, the film foundation and human rights organization Cine Foundation International
launched a video protest mechanism called WHITE MEADOWS (named for the Mohammad Rasoulof film), developed by Ericson deJesus (of Yahoo!
and frog design). The video mechanism "allow(s) anyone in the world to record a short video statement about Panahi and Rasoulof. There will be an ESCAPE button at top, allowing quick exit for those in countries where recording a statement would be dangerous. There will an option to have the screen black, and soon, voice distortion. The video statements will be recorded as mp4s, giving them maximum transmedia capacity, which essentially makes them broadcastable from any device that can show video". Visitors can also use the mechanism to comment on how they would "like to see as an international response by the film industry", comment on the state of human rights in general, or to "report a human rights abuse to the world".
In October 2011, – "The Appeals Court of Tehran Province has issued its rulings for Jafar Panahi and Mohammad Rasoulof who were sentenced to prison terms and bans by the lower court. Jafar Panahi and Mohammad Rasoulof are two Iranian filmmakers and directors charged with acting against national security and propaganda against the regime."
"Following the defendants’ objections and requests for appeal, their cases were reviewed by the 54th branch of the Appeals Court in Tehran Province. The Appeals Court then issued its final rulings upholding the verdict against Jafar Panahi but reducing Mohammad Rasoulof’s prison sentence to one year."
“Throughout, Iranian ills are movingly condemned, but it's The White Meadows's more general, humanistic portrait of man's multifaceted nature that truly inspires, its social critique ultimately enhanced by its recognition of the fallibility, irrationality and inscrutability of people's hearts and minds.” –Slant Magazine
“Cinematographer Ebrahim Ghafouri has done an astonishing, painterly job. Like the Romantic painter Caspar David Friedrich, he sets the human figure in diminished perspective amid expansive landscapes.” – Screen Daily
“Though rich in allegory, the film keeps its symbolism obscure enough to evade both Iranian censors and filmgoers looking for obvious critiques of the current political situation, but its beauty and always fascinating imagery should attract a steadfast fest crowd.” – Variety
Cinema of Iran
The cinema of Iran is a flourishing film industry with a long history. Many popular commercial films are annually made in Iran, and Iranian art films win praise around the world....
written, directed and produced by Mohammad Rasoulof. The film was edited by leading Iranian filmmaker Jafar Panahi
Jafar Panahi
Jafar Panahi is an Iranian filmmaker and is one of the most influential filmmakers in the Iranian New Wave movement. He has gained recognition from film theorists and critics worldwide and received numerous awards including the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival and the Silver Bear at the...
and stars Hassan Pourshirazi as Rahmat.
About the Director
Mohammad Rasoulof was born in Shiraz, Iran in 1972. He received a degree in Sociology from Shiraz University and studied film editing at the Sooreh University in Tehran. His first feature film is the docudrama The Twilight, and his second feature, Iron Island, was selected for the Directors’ Fortnight in Cannes. He also directed Head Wind, a documentary about the restrictions currently imposed in Iran on using satellites and the Internet. The White Meadows is his third feature film.Synopsis
In a dreamlike yet earthbound film, Rahmat the boatman navigates the increasingly brackish waters of Lake UrmiaLake Urmia
Lake Urmia , ancient name: Lake Matiene) is a salt lake in northwestern Iran, near Iran's border with Turkey. The lake is between the Iranian provinces of East Azerbaijan and West Azerbaijan, west of the southern portion of the similarly shaped Caspian Sea...
, collecting the heartaches and tears of its' inhabitants. But he remains powerless against their misguided attempts to appease the gods and make the land green again, whether by offering a bride to the sea or forcibly 'treating' the eyes of a painter who sees in different colors. Drawing firsthand on the challenges faced by Iranian artists of today, writer-director Mohammad Rasoulof's deeply atmospheric and poetical film is a gorgeous allegory of intolerance, brutality and mystified routin that resonates far beyond any one state's borders.
Global Lens 2011 Series
The film is featured in the Global Lens 2011 film series, sponsored by The Global Film Initiative. Global Lens is an annual program of eight to ten narrative films from around the world. Each year, the series premieres at MoMa and then tours throughout the United States and Canada. Global Lens 2011 includes eight other award-winning narrative feature films from Argentina, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Brazil, China, Georgia, Kyrgyzstan, India, and Uruguay. Check the Global Lens 2011 film calendar for current screenings throughout the United States.Controversy Surrounding Mohammad Rasoulof and Jafar Panahi
In December 2010, Mohammad Rasoulof, along with his editor - Iranian director Jafar Panahi - were sentenced to six years in prison for film-related activities. Since then, many notable people in the film industry, including Steven SpielbergSteven Spielberg
Steven Allan Spielberg KBE is an American film director, screenwriter, producer, video game designer, and studio entrepreneur. In a career of more than four decades, Spielberg's films have covered many themes and genres. Spielberg's early science-fiction and adventure films were seen as an...
, Martin Scorsese
Martin Scorsese
Martin Charles Scorsese is an American film director, screenwriter, producer, actor, and film historian. In 1990 he founded The Film Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to film preservation, and in 2007 he founded the World Cinema Foundation...
, and Oliver Stone
Oliver Stone
William Oliver Stone is an American film director, producer and screenwriter. Stone became well known in the late 1980s and the early 1990s for directing a series of films about the Vietnam War, for which he had previously participated as an infantry soldier. His work frequently focuses on...
, have expressed solidarity with Rasoulof and Panahi. To read more about the film and Rasoulof's situation, check out The Global Film Initiative's blog post Forgettable Transcendence of The White Meadows.
In January 2011, the film foundation and human rights organization Cine Foundation International
Cine Foundation International
Cine Foundation International is London-based non-profit film company and human rights NGO "aiming to 'empower open consciousness through cinema'". The foundation was formed in December 2010 by American filmmaker Jesse Richards, founder of the Remodernist film movement, South Korean film critic...
launched a video protest mechanism called WHITE MEADOWS (named for the Mohammad Rasoulof film), developed by Ericson deJesus (of Yahoo!
Yahoo!
Yahoo! Inc. is an American multinational internet corporation headquartered in Sunnyvale, California, United States. The company is perhaps best known for its web portal, search engine , Yahoo! Directory, Yahoo! Mail, Yahoo! News, Yahoo! Groups, Yahoo! Answers, advertising, online mapping ,...
and frog design). The video mechanism "allow(s) anyone in the world to record a short video statement about Panahi and Rasoulof. There will be an ESCAPE button at top, allowing quick exit for those in countries where recording a statement would be dangerous. There will an option to have the screen black, and soon, voice distortion. The video statements will be recorded as mp4s, giving them maximum transmedia capacity, which essentially makes them broadcastable from any device that can show video". Visitors can also use the mechanism to comment on how they would "like to see as an international response by the film industry", comment on the state of human rights in general, or to "report a human rights abuse to the world".
In October 2011, – "The Appeals Court of Tehran Province has issued its rulings for Jafar Panahi and Mohammad Rasoulof who were sentenced to prison terms and bans by the lower court. Jafar Panahi and Mohammad Rasoulof are two Iranian filmmakers and directors charged with acting against national security and propaganda against the regime."
"Following the defendants’ objections and requests for appeal, their cases were reviewed by the 54th branch of the Appeals Court in Tehran Province. The Appeals Court then issued its final rulings upholding the verdict against Jafar Panahi but reducing Mohammad Rasoulof’s prison sentence to one year."
Reviews
“It is a valuable work that calls on its audience to brave such matters without the balm of resolution. And for such a work to be so transportingly beautiful and so immediately human -- this is a treasure.” –Frontline“Throughout, Iranian ills are movingly condemned, but it's The White Meadows's more general, humanistic portrait of man's multifaceted nature that truly inspires, its social critique ultimately enhanced by its recognition of the fallibility, irrationality and inscrutability of people's hearts and minds.” –Slant Magazine
“Cinematographer Ebrahim Ghafouri has done an astonishing, painterly job. Like the Romantic painter Caspar David Friedrich, he sets the human figure in diminished perspective amid expansive landscapes.” – Screen Daily
“Though rich in allegory, the film keeps its symbolism obscure enough to evade both Iranian censors and filmgoers looking for obvious critiques of the current political situation, but its beauty and always fascinating imagery should attract a steadfast fest crowd.” – Variety
Awards
- Dubai International Film FestivalDubai International Film FestivalThe Dubai International Film Festival is an international film festival based in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Launched in 2004, it aims to foster the growth of filmmaking in the Arab world.-Overview:...
- Muhr Asia-Africa Award for Best Actor (Hassan Pourshirazi) - Dubai International Film FestivalDubai International Film FestivalThe Dubai International Film Festival is an international film festival based in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Launched in 2004, it aims to foster the growth of filmmaking in the Arab world.-Overview:...
- Asia-Africa Special Jury Prize for Best Feature - San Sebastián International Film FestivalSan Sebastián International Film FestivalThe San Sebastián International Film Festival is an annual FIAPF A category film festival held in the Spanish city of San Sebastián .-History:The festival was founded in 1953...
- Golden Seashell Award (Nominated) - Denver Film FestivalDenver Film FestivalThe Denver Film Festival is held in November, primarily in the Tivoli Union on the Auraria Campus and the new Denver Film Center/Colfax, in Denver Colorado...
- Krzysztof KieslowskiKrzysztof KieslowskiKrzysztof Kieślowski was an Academy Award nominated influential Polish film director and screenwriter, known internationally for The Double Life of Veronique and his film cycles The Decalogue and Three Colors.-Early life:...
Award for Best Feature Film - Tribeca Film FestivalTribeca Film FestivalThe Tribeca Film Festival is a film festival founded in 2002 by Jane Rosenthal, Robert De Niro and Craig Hatkoff in a response to the September 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center and the consequent loss of vitality in the TriBeCa neighborhood in Lower Manhattan.The mission of the festival...
- Narrative Features Competition
External Links
- Global Lens 2011 film THE WHITE MEADOWS - The Global Film Initiative
- Uncommon Beauty - Review from The Mantle