"Niloofar"Levantine Center presents an exclusive director's screening of Niloofar, the acclaimed directorial debut by Franco-Lebanese director Sabine El Gemayel. Filmed in the Khuzestan Province of Iran, near the Iraqi border, this movie is in Persian with English subtitles (82 minutes). This is third film to screen in the New Voices in Middle Eastern Cinema series, which takes place every third Thursday of the month. A Q & A with writer/director Sabine El Gemayel will follow the screening.

Niloofar is a twelve-year-old girl whose dream is to read and write, but she lives in a village where education is only for boys. Her mother, a well-known midwife, insists that Niloofar become her apprentice. While assisting her mother during a delivery, Niloofar meets a feminist woman who undertakes to teach her in secret. Unfortunately, in exchange for a palm tree field, Niloofar's father promises her in marriage to an older man once she becomes a woman.

Horrified by this notion, Niloofar does everything in her power to postpone her first periods. Eventually, the inevitable occurs. However, Niloofar, who is determined to keep her freedom as long as possible, arranges to conceal the fact from her family for another two years until the truth can no longer be hidden. Then, rather than live in a marriage without love, Niloofar runs away with her friend. Shocked, her family considers itself dishonored and sends her step-brother to track her down.

Writes Sheri Linden in The Hollywood Reporter, "...As the story proceeds and its tensions mount, a compelling momentum takes hold. From the opening sequence, in which Niloofar's mother applies henna to a bride's hands, writer-director Sabine El Gemayel evinces a poetic eye for the colors and textures of domestic life. A birth scene in a stream is powerful, marking the awakening of Niloofar (Mobina Ayenedar) to the perils of womanhood. Her mother (Roya Nownahali) expects Niloofar to become her apprentice and believes that ‘all you need in life are your hands and intuition.' But the girl is bold enough to dream of being a doctor.

Sabine El Gemayel"In such subtle details as a woman shifting her baby out of its father's embrace, the film suggests the corrosive effects of custom. It shows how men, too, can be trapped by conventional notions of honor. With references to U.S. bombs and ancient deities, "Niloofar" is direct and elliptical, contemporary and timeless."

About the Director:
Sabine El Gemayel lived in Iran and Lebanon before moving to Canada in 1987, where she obtained a BA in Communication Studies from Concordia University. After moving to Los Angeles in 1994, El Gemayel edited a number of features including The Olive Harvest. ‘Niloofar' is her debut directorial feature.