Closed Captioned
Grades 10-12, College, Adult
Directed by Masoud Raouf
Produced by The National Film Board of Canada
DVD Purchase $79, Rent $45
US Release Date: 2002
Copyright Date: 2002
DVD ISBN: 0-7722-1213-9
VHS ISBN: 0-7722-1104-3
Subjects
Conflict Resolution
Human Rights
Humanities
Immigration
International Studies
Iran
Islamic Studies
Middle East
Migration and Refugees
Psychology
Refugees
Social Justice
Sociology
War and Peace
Women's Studies
Awards and Festivals
Award of Commendation, Visual Anthropology Film/Video Festival, American Anthropological Association
Golden Sheaf Award, Best Social Documentary, Yorkton Short Film & Video Festival
Silver Award, Best Canadian Documentary, Hot Docs
Nominated for Best Social/Political Documentary, The Gemini Awards (Canadian Emmy)
Bronze Plaque, Columbus International Film & Video Festival
International Film Festival on Human Rights, Geneva
Middle Eastern Studies Association FilmFest
Calgary International Film Festival
United Nations Association Film Festival, Stanford
Vermont International Film Festival
Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival
Global Visions Film Festival
Western Psychological Association Film Festival
Big Sky Documentary Film Festival
Tiburon International Film Festival
Bellingham Human Rights Film Festival
Extraordinary film explores the lives of Iranian refugees who cannot escape painful memories.
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"A beautifully shot, thoughtfully realized work....Highly recommended." ***1/2 Gary Handman, Video Librarian |
In 1992 a young Iranian student hanged himself from a tree on the outskirts of a small Ontario town. He had escaped the Ayatollah's regime but he could not escape his past.
News of the stranger's death hit home with filmmaker Masoud Raouf. He too is part of the generation of Iranians who rose up against the Shah's despotic rule only to be cruelly persecuted by an equally murderous new regime.
THE TREE THAT REMEMBERS is his compassionate reflection on the betrayal of the 1979 Iranian revolution and the tenacity of the human spirit.
Raouf assembles a group of Iranians, all former political prisoners like himself who were active in the democratic movement. Blending their testimony with historical footage and original artwork, Raouf honors the memory of the dead and celebrates the resilience of the living.
While anchored in a specific history, THE TREE THAT REMEMBERS reflects on the broad themes of oppression and survival, pouring light into a somber universe and finding unexpected fragments of hope.
Reviews
"A beautifully shot, thoughtfully realized work--a compelling and, at times, heartrending meditation on political violence, on survival of the human spirit, and on the sorrows of exile....Highly recommended."
"The historical footage of the revolution and the personal testimony of people who have suffered much combine to make this a powerful documentary... Recommended"
"Raouf's presentation is thoughtfully seasoned with art, delivering a highly professional product. This video is worth seeing; recommended for public and academic libraries."
"An eloquent and powerful film on the suffering of Iranian exiles more than 20 years after the revolution."
"Extremely well done, elegant, moving, heartbreaking, inspiring interviews. Sound editing was great. Thank you for telling these stories."
"In his film The Tree that Remembers director Masoud Raouf delivers a painful and courageous portrayal encompassing the trials and triumphs of the human heart. Bringing a voice to the hundreds of thousands by way of a few, this film offers truths revealed from a world legacy of political prisoners, once adrift in silence, now told by the voices of survivors themselves."