1. FILM PRESENTATION

2. Film Presentation Details  Pair off into 5 groups of 2 and pick 1 film each  On last day of class (Thursday, Sept 11th) each group will give a 10 min. presentation on their assigned film  Presentation should include a synopsis (2 min), response and analysis based on the issues we have discussed in class (4-5 min), and a short excerpt from the film (3-4 min) illustrating the points you make.

3. Our Films  Persepolis (2007)  View from a Grain of Sand (2006)  Wadjda (2012)  Reluctant Fundamentalist (2012)  Circumstance (2011)

4. Persepolis (2007)  Animated film by Marjane Satrapi  Based on her best-selling autobiographical graphic novel  Depicts Marjane growing up in Iran during the Islamic Revolution  Follows her teenage and young adult years living in a liberal family but a conservative society

5. View from a Grain of Sand (2006)  Documentary by Meena Nanji  Filmed in refugee camps of Pakistan and the war-torn city of Kabul, Afghanistan  Three remarkable Afghan women lead us through Afghanistan’s recent history, examining how international interventions, war, and the rise of political Islam have stripped Afghan women of their freedom over the last thirty years

6. Wadjda (2012)  First feature-length film made by a female Saudi director, Haifaa al-Mansour  Follows the life of Wadjda, an 11-year-old Saudi girl living in the capital Riyadh  Part comedy, part drama, gives a glimpse into the gender dynamics and struggles of Saudi girls and women, as both Wadjda and her mother have to negotiate the limitations her society places on them.

7. The Reluctant Fundamentalist (2012)  Political thriller drama, based on a novel by Mohsin Hamid.  Film revolves around Chengez, a young Pakistani man, telling his life story to an American journalist.  Controversial look at the dark side of the American Dream, exploring the aftermath of 9/11, international unease, and the struggles Chengez encounters in being thrown between his life in America and his Pakistani heritage.

8. Circumstance (2011)  Drama written and directed by Maryam Keshavarz  Follows a group of Iranian teenagers navigating a repressive government while attending underground parties and experimenting with sex, drinking, and drugs.  Deals with alternative sexuality and queer identity in the face of religious conservatism