About 111 Girls - next film in the Global Roots series

Directors: Nahid Ghobadi and Bijan Zamanpira
Iraq | 2012 | Narrative | Farsi & Kurdish w/English subtitles
Narrative | 79 minutes
Film source: Global Lens
Sunday, June 9, 5pm, North End Studios

A government official, carrying a message from Iran’s president, travels across Iranian Kurdistan with his driver and a young guide on a mission to stop 111 young Kurdish women from committing suicide in protest against conditions that have left them spinsters. Racing against the clock, they travel into territory simmering with resentment at official neglect and the hardship it has sown among a proud people. Against a dramatically colorful physical and human landscape, wistful longing mingles with dreamlike desire and absurdist humor as the three travelers meander helplessly in a land riddled with contradictions.

About the Directors: Nahid Ghobadi was born in Baneh, Iran in 1964. She studied librarianship at Tehran University and film at Columbia College Hollywood, is a published poet and has directed nine short films and documentaries. About 111 Girls is her first feature film.

Bijan Zamanpira was born in Sanandaj, Iran in 1965. He studied Persian
language and literature at Payame Noor University in Tehran and has directed eleven short films and documentaries. About 111 Girls is his first feature film.

A full “Study Guide” about the film, prepared by the Global Film Initiative, can be downloaded here PDF)

The full schedule of the series is below

Global Roots screening schedule

Above is the schedule for the series. For detailed info about each film, please scroll down the page. Excuse our appearance while we give our website a total overhaul.