Synopsis
No One Knows About Persian Cats (2009) is an Iranian drama-musical you can watch online on iFILM, directed by Bahman Ghobadi. Negar Shaghaghi and Ashkan Koshanejad play themselves — two Tehran musicians just out of prison, trying to form a band and get to London for a concert.
In Tehran circa 2009, playing indie, metal, or blues without a government permit is illegal. Negar and Ashkan scout through basements, rooftops and garages, assembling musicians while simultaneously chasing fake passports and exit visas. Every conversation about music turns into a conversation about what can get you arrested. Ghobadi shot the whole film in 17 days, working partly in secret: the musicians are real underground artists, the locations are real addresses.
It sits somewhere between a road movie and a document about art surviving prohibition. The film picked up the Special Jury Prize in Un Certain Regard at Cannes 2009. Stream No One Knows About Persian Cats (2009) on iFILM.
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