Comments on: No One Knows About Persian Cats

By: gatos encerrados « Se destetó Teté

gatos encerrados « Se destetó Teté — Sun, 25 Jul 2010 20:26:25 +0000

[...] Para que nos demos una idea del alcance de este documental, aquí va una lista (no sabemos si completa) de grupos que participan en la película y que sacamos del excelente post No One Knows About Persian Cats en el blog Ponnie: [...]

By: Gerard B

Gerard B — Wed, 28 Apr 2010 08:45:17 +0000

Anyone can say me the name of the electro artist who plays the song in the house rave after the starring’s dead? An amazing movie and people.

By: Handel

Handel — Fri, 16 Apr 2010 11:12:19 +0000

Hey! Nice writeup. Thank you. I saw the movie a couple days ago and I’m still thinking about it. The screening I attended included a Q&A with the director, his co-writer and the Yellow Dogs!

Incidentally, if you are in New York, the Yellow Dogs and Hypernova will be playing this evening (April 16) at 92YTribeca 200 Hudson St at 9pm

By: Ponnie

Ponnie — Mon, 12 Apr 2010 02:54:22 +0000

Thank you all for compliments on the review. Musical taste is so subjective, but I’m curious what about the indie pop didn’t work for you. I thought the vocals on some tracks could use improvement, but that is also a matter of taste, given that bands like The Capricorns have a similar style and have had a good following… a kind of bedroom Casio band sound.

It’s hard to say how representative the music is of the scene, but it seems the point was to expose some of the most cutting edge and talented of the lot. I don’t know of any interview with the director commenting on the music quality. I assume he liked it all since he included them in the film.

By: Sunningdale

Sunningdale — Sun, 11 Apr 2010 23:04:37 +0000

Thanks for the review. I found the story to be altogether moving but some of the music to be so bad, the indie synth pop especially.
How representative is this quality of music on the Iranian music scene?
Ironically on the back of the film, apparently the least talented band are in Europe trying to make it big. I wonder what the director made of the music is there an interview somewhere where he comments that you know of please?

By: Jeff

Jeff — Sat, 03 Apr 2010 22:49:07 +0000

Just back from the film that has now arrived in London (April 2010). Thanks for such an excellent, wide-ranging and detailed write up.

By: No One Knows about Persian Cats « In Prague

No One Knows about Persian Cats « In Prague — Sun, 28 Mar 2010 08:33:02 +0000

[...] And here's an excellent write-up about the film and its soundtrack: http://www.ponnie.org/2009/12/31/no-one-knows-about-persian-cats/ [...]

By: Ponnie

Ponnie — Sat, 20 Feb 2010 08:48:42 +0000

Aah, thank you for that. Good eye!

The “best film of 2009″ category is my own subjective designation. It personally meant a lot to me.

It’s a good question about the film submissions.

Iranian cinema, somewhat against expectations, flourished after the Revolution. I have my own theories as to why, but anyway we’ve seen new levels of creativity and experimentation from film makers, covering a range of subject matter. One guess is that the politics behind submissions are heavily influenced by what face of the country the decision makers would like to put forth, as in any country, I suppose.

Given the Iranian political context, one can only guess at the reasons why those films were ultimately not submitted. Not sure… would be an interesting question to explore.

By: joe

joe — Sat, 20 Feb 2010 05:24:58 +0000

In case you’re interested, the Joy Division poster is next to the Arctic Monkey’s poster…I think it was in someone’s bedroom or something. Also, while I wouldn’t say this was the best film of the year (that goes to Polytechnique), I do think it is definitely top 10 or maybe even top 5. The Persian New Wave had almost become forgotten, with Kiarostami going experimental and the last big film being Offside. However, this film has brought the movement right back.

On one final note, when one of the characters said that a film (one that’s never explicitly mentioned) would definitely win the oscar, I checked to see what film Iran sent for oscar consideration this year. As a film fanatic, I have grown to hate the oscars, but I do still think that an oscar for a Persian film would be great. So, why is it that Iran is always sabotaging itself, based only on the country’s paranoia? In the last 10 or 20 years, Iran has produced some of the best cinema out there, so why has the country only had one nomination? Because they didn’t submit Taste of Cherry. Because they sent M for Mother instead of Offside. And because they sent About Elly instead of this absolute work of art and showcase of Iranian talent. I wish more people would see this film, but since that will probably never happen, at least we can enjoy it as our own secret.

By: Ponnie

Ponnie — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 14:25:38 +0000

Thanks so much for your comment. I wish I had the lyrics for the Rana Farhan song… if anyone else does, please feel free to post here.