No One Knows About Persian Cats () is a 2009 Iranian film directed by Bahman Ghobadi produced by Wild Bunch. The film offers the perspective of Iran as it explores its underground rock scene. It won the Special Jury Prize Ex-aequo in the Un Certain Regard section at the 2009 Cannes Film Festival.
Plot
The film follows two young musicians (Ashkan and Negar) as they form a band and prepare to leave Iran shortly after being released from prison. The pair befriends a man named Nader (Hamed Behdad), an underground music enthusiast and producer who helps them travel around Tehran and its surrounding areas in order to meet other underground musicians possibly interested in forming a band and later leaving the country.
Cast
Hamed Behdad
Ashkan Kooshanejad
Negar Shaghaghi
Bands and musicians
Take It Easy Hospital
Rana Farhan
Hichkas
Meysam Eddie
The Yellow Dogs
Shervin Najafian
Ash Koosha
Mirza (band) The Free Keys Mahdyar Aghajani Darkoob Hamed Seyed Javadi Nik Aein Band
International cinema release dates
23 December 2009: France
3 February 2010: Belgium
26 March 2010: U.K. Limited release: Curzon Soho and key cities 16 April 2010: U.S. (New York City only) 16 April 2010: Italy 15 July 2010: Israel
Reception
Accolades
Its first official screening was at the 2009 Cannes Film Festival where it won the Special Jury Prize Ex-aequo in the Un Certain Regard section. Cannes Film Festival: Special Jury Prize Ex-aequo in the Un Certain Regard section François Chalais Prize award
Accusations
Shortly after the release of the movie, Iranian director Torang Abedian accused Ghobadi of having used many ideas for his movie from her documentary Not an Illusion, made from 2003 to 2008 and released in the same year. According to Abedian, her camera operator got a call from Ghobadi and left her afterwards to make the movie about the same topic with Ghobadi in a few days.
References
External links
Underground Musicians Fight The Man In Tehran, NPR movie review by Mark Jenkins, 2010-04-15, accessed 2010-05-07.