| Radio Dreams | |
|---|---|
 Radio Dreams promotional poster | |
| رویاهای رادیویی | |
| Directed by | Babak Jalali[1] |
| Written by | Babak Jalali, Aida Ahadiany[1] |
| Produced by | Marjaneh Moghimi[1] |
| Cinematography | Noaz Deshe[1] |
Production company | Butimar[1] |
| Distributed by | Reel Suspects[1] |
Release date |
|
Running time | 91 minutes |
| Countries | United States Iran |
| Languages | English,Persian |
| Budget | US$ 300,000[2] |
Radio Dreams is a 2016 American film by Iranian-born film directorBabak Jalali.[3] Inspired by a group of real life IranianMetallica fans, calling themselves thePersian Magnetic,[3] and the realities of expatriate life of theIranian diaspora in the United States.[4]
The filmRadio Dreams won the 2016 Tiger Award at theInternational Film Festival Rotterdam,[3] and Jalali[2] won the Best Director Award atAndrey Tarkovsky Film Festival in Russia. In 2016 the film was shown at the 32ndWarsaw Film Festival in the "Discoveries" section.[5]
Hamid Royani is the station manager at Pars-FM Radio, theBay Area's premierePersian language radio station.[4] As everyone at Pars-FM looks forward to a continuously delayedjam session by Afghan rock bandKabul Dreams with metal legendsMetallica, Royani despairs. As a respected man of the arts in his homeland, he must struggle against the commercial demands of the station's owners; erudite and eloquent in his own tongue, he must face the ups and downs of everyday life in a land where he can hardly speak the language.
Marjaneh Moghimi [Wikidata], a producer of community documentaries, was looking to produce her first fictional feature and approached Babak Jalali to helm it.[2] A personal friend of Mohsen Namjoo, Moghimi introduced him to Jalali;[2] at the same time Kabul Dreams had just decided to relocate to the United States, and around these cast members the story was written. With a minimal budget of US$300,000, a virtue was made of necessity and the story that developed staged the action within the span of a day within the confines of a radio station.[2] This setting in turn was to play a part in the lighting and camera setups used bycinematographer Noaz Deshe.[1] The design of the film poster was made by design agency, Ceft and Company New York.[10]
Neil Young ofThe Hollywood Reporter described the film as, "presenting a nuanced, intelligent and consistently droll take on hot-button subjects of immigration, identity and cultural assimilation..." and that it "stand[s] comparison with the finest radio-themed enterprises of the current century..."[1]
Writing inVariety, critic Catherine Bray called the film a "quietly satisfying gem..." and a "deserving Tiger competition winner at Rotterdam..."[11]
| Year | Award | Category | Result | Recipient | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | International Film Festival Rotterdam | Tiger Award | Won | Radio Dreams | [3][11][6] |
| 2016 | Seattle International Film Festival | Special Jury Mention | Won | Radio Dreams | [12] |
| 2016 | Durban International Film Festival | Best Actor: Mohsen Namjoo | Won | Radio Dreams | [13][9] |
| 2016 | Andrey Tarkovsky International Film Festival | Best Director | Won | Radio Dreams | [13] |
| 2016 | International Film Festival Rotterdam | Best Film | Won | Radio Dreams | [13] |
