Description: "Bahram Beyzaie is one of Iran's leading auteur filmmakers. This book examines several of Beyzaie's films and plays and their preoccupation with the modalities of Iranian contemporary, historical and mythical identity, from different perspectives. The chapters analyse films such as Bashu, the Little Stranger, Killing Mad Dogs and Uncle Moustache from a range of critical perspectives including ecofeminist and socio-political readings. They also explore Beyzaie's use of genre, different Iranian languages, and the representation of religious themes. Together, the chapters show how Beyzaie's works negotiate narratives of belonging in Iran, and how they use the resources of Iranian folk and performance traditions to comment on the position of women, children, intellectuals, and minorities in society"--
Brief description: Saeed Talajooy is a Senior Lecturer in Persian at the University of St Andrews, UK. His publications include chapters and articles on Iranian theatre and cinema, a co-edited volume entitled Resistance in Contemporary Middle Eastern Cultures: Literature, Cinema and Music (2012), a Special Issue of Iranian Studies on Bahram Beyzaie (2013), a monograph entitled Iranian Culture in Bahram Beyzaie's Cinema in Theatre: Paradigms of Being and Belonging (I.B.Tauris, 2023) and an edited volume entitled The Plays and Films of Bahram Beyzaie: Origins, Forms and Functions (I.B.Tauris, 2024).
Review Quotes: "This remarkable collection brings together essays from artists, filmmakers, writers, and emerging and established scholars who provide a wide-ranging analysis of the works of the prominent Iranian playwright and film director Bahram Beyzaie. The chapters neatly work together to show the importance of Bayzaie's plays and films in making cultural modernity in its distinct Iranian expression." --Babak Rahimi, Professor, University of California- San Diego, USA