Negar shaghaghi biography of christopher

“No One Knows About Persian Cats” Screening

Two young musicians, Negar (Negar Shaghaghi) and Ashkan (Ashkan Koshanejad), are released from prison. They immediately immerse themselves in the underground rock scene in Tehran, Iran — “underground” because playing in public venues is outlawed. They plan to escape from their repressive country to play a concert in Europe, but first they need to find a rhythm section and some passports. They place their hope in Nader (Hamed Behdad), a savvy fixer who promises to get them to their gig.

Screen the film through ACC’s Swank Account

The link above will bring you to ACC’s Swank login page. Please use Chrome or Firefox to view the movie on Swank. Under Find Your Institution, enter Austin Community College in the search bar. Select ACC, and it will open to the film’s page.

HELD ON WEDNESDAY, MARCH 9TH, 2022

Watch the film in advance for free on Swank, and then join us for a conversation led by Dr. Mark Cunningham and Dr. Babak Tabarraee.

Babak Tabarraee received his Ph.D. in Middle Eastern Languages and Cultures from the University of Texas at Austin in 2020. He has also completed two graduate degrees in Film Studies (MA, 2013) and Dramatic Literature (MA, 2007). His research revolves around media reception in modern Iran. His writings have appeared in Iranian Studies, The Soundtrack, Cinephile, and the Iranian Encyclopedia of the World of Islam. His publications in Farsi include three authored books of fiction, twenty-two book-format translations, and several essays, short stories and screenplays. Before joining UT, he taught screenwriting and film analysis at the University of Art in Tehran. He is currently working on a book based on his recently completed dissertation: Iranian Cult: A Cinema of Failure. Link to Bio