| Radio Dreams | |
|---|---|
 Radio Dreams promotional poster | |
| رویاهای رادیویی | |
| Directed by | Babak Jalali |
| Written by | Babak Jalali, Aida Ahadiany |
| Produced by | Marjaneh Moghimi |
| Cinematography | Noaz Deshe |
| Production company | Butimar |
| Distributed by | Reel Suspects |
| Release date |
|
| Running time | 91 minutes |
| Countries | United States Iran |
| Languages | English, Persian |
| Budget | US$ 300,000 |
Radio Dreams is a 2016 American film by Iranian-born film director Babak Jalali. Inspired by a group of real life Iranian Metallica fans, calling themselves the Persian Magnetic, and the realities of expatriate life of the Iranian diaspora in the United States.
The film Radio Dreams won the 2016 Tiger Award at the International Film Festival Rotterdam, and Jalali 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.
Plot
Hamid Royani is the station manager at Pars-FM Radio, the Bay Area's premiere Persian language radio station. 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
- Mohsen Namjoo as Hamid Royani
- Lars Ulrich as himself
- Boshra Dastournezhad as Maral Afshar
- Kabul Dreams (Sulyman Qardash, Siddique Ahmed, Raby Adib) as themselves
- Bella Warda as Sherbet
- 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
Marjaneh Moghimi [Wikidata], a producer of community documentaries, was looking to produce her first fictional feature and approached Babak Jalali to helm it. A personal friend of Mohsen Namjoo, Moghimi introduced him to Jalali; 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. This setting in turn was to play a part in the lighting and camera setups used by cinematographer Noaz Deshe. The design of the film poster was made by design agency, Ceft and Company New York.
Reception
Neil 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 comparison with the finest radio-themed enterprises of the current century..."
Writing in Variety, critic Catherine Bray called the film a "quietly satisfying gem..." and a "deserving Tiger competition winner at Rotterdam..."
Awards and nominations
| Year | Award | Category | Result | Recipient | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | International Film Festival Rotterdam | Tiger Award | Won | Radio Dreams | |
| 2016 | Seattle International Film Festival | Special Jury Mention | Won | Radio Dreams | |
| 2016 | Durban International Film Festival | Best Actor: Mohsen Namjoo | Won | Radio Dreams | |
| 2016 | Andrey Tarkovsky International Film Festival | Best Director | Won | Radio Dreams | |
| 2016 | International Film Festival Rotterdam | Best Film | Won | Radio Dreams |
See also
References
- ^ Young, Niel (3 February 2016). "'Radio Dreams': Rotterdam Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 5 March 2016.
- ^ Goodfellow, Melanie (31 January 2016). "Tiger directors: Babak Jalali, 'Radio Dreams'". Screen Daily. Retrieved 5 March 2016.
- ^ 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.
- ^ 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.
- ^ "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.
- ^ "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.
- ^ 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.
- ^ "Radio Dreams: A Tower Theater Exclusive". Miami Art Guide. 2017-08-02. Retrieved 2022-04-14.
External links
- 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)