Sponsor
Cinematic Arts
Co-Sponsor(s)
Center for Documentary Studies (CDS)
Screen/Society--"Joonam" (Sierra Urich, 2023)
Speaker(s): Q&A to follow w/ director Sierra Urich
Film Screening:
"Joonam"
(Sierra Urich, 2023, 103 min, USA, English and Persian with English subtitles, DCP)
Filmmaker Sierra Urich grew up in rural Vermont, a place and an upbringing far removed from Iran, the homeland of her mother, Mitra, and grandmother, Behjat. Only knowing Iran through family stories, food, and holidays, and with the prospect of travel to the country a seemingly impossible dream, she embarks on a personal quest to make sense of her fractured Iranian identity. Navigating barriers of language and culture (not to mention the complications of geopolitical conflict and displacement), Sierra turns to Mitra and Behjat to construct a deeply moving and sometimes disarmingly funny portrait of three generations of women and their complex relationship to an Iran of the past.
Named for a Farsi term of endearment, JOONAM is infused with humor and heart like only a film about family could be. Interrogating family history and memory, including her grandmother's experiences as a preteen bride and her mother's rebellious teenage years during the Iranian Revolution, Sierra Urich constructs a rich, personal film that poignantly reflects the experiences of the Iranian diasporic community and speaks to anyone affected by the dislocation that accompanies immigration.
"A touching look at intergenerational immigrant identity." - IndieWire
"A heartfelt exploration of those living within a diaspora, the fractured connection each generation has to their own culture, and the irrevocable bond of shared roots." - RogerEbert.com
"An especially timely meditation on what it means to be Iranian-American in this moment." - PopSugar
== ABOUT THE FILMMAKER ==
Sierra Urich is an Iranian-American (neem-rooni), award-winning filmmaker, and interdisciplinary visual artist based in Vermont. She was recently nominated for an Independent Spirit Award and placed on the DOC NYC 40 Under 40 list, which celebrates exemplary emerging talent in the documentary world. Urich's first feature film, JOONAM, premiered in competition at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival, and took home 3 Jury Awards for Best Documentary at the Cleveland International Film Festival, the Bentonville Film Festival, and the Sharjah Film Platform, and was in Oscar Contention for an Academy Award.
==
View trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gxlR4etfLrM
Parking Info: https://artscenter.duke.edu/parking
"Joonam"
(Sierra Urich, 2023, 103 min, USA, English and Persian with English subtitles, DCP)
Filmmaker Sierra Urich grew up in rural Vermont, a place and an upbringing far removed from Iran, the homeland of her mother, Mitra, and grandmother, Behjat. Only knowing Iran through family stories, food, and holidays, and with the prospect of travel to the country a seemingly impossible dream, she embarks on a personal quest to make sense of her fractured Iranian identity. Navigating barriers of language and culture (not to mention the complications of geopolitical conflict and displacement), Sierra turns to Mitra and Behjat to construct a deeply moving and sometimes disarmingly funny portrait of three generations of women and their complex relationship to an Iran of the past.
Named for a Farsi term of endearment, JOONAM is infused with humor and heart like only a film about family could be. Interrogating family history and memory, including her grandmother's experiences as a preteen bride and her mother's rebellious teenage years during the Iranian Revolution, Sierra Urich constructs a rich, personal film that poignantly reflects the experiences of the Iranian diasporic community and speaks to anyone affected by the dislocation that accompanies immigration.
"A touching look at intergenerational immigrant identity." - IndieWire
"A heartfelt exploration of those living within a diaspora, the fractured connection each generation has to their own culture, and the irrevocable bond of shared roots." - RogerEbert.com
"An especially timely meditation on what it means to be Iranian-American in this moment." - PopSugar
== ABOUT THE FILMMAKER ==
Sierra Urich is an Iranian-American (neem-rooni), award-winning filmmaker, and interdisciplinary visual artist based in Vermont. She was recently nominated for an Independent Spirit Award and placed on the DOC NYC 40 Under 40 list, which celebrates exemplary emerging talent in the documentary world. Urich's first feature film, JOONAM, premiered in competition at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival, and took home 3 Jury Awards for Best Documentary at the Cleveland International Film Festival, the Bentonville Film Festival, and the Sharjah Film Platform, and was in Oscar Contention for an Academy Award.
==
View trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gxlR4etfLrM
Parking Info: https://artscenter.duke.edu/parking
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