EUGENE, OR – The Festival of Films From Around the Islamic World at Lane Community College concludes with a showing of "The Lizard" directed by Kamal Tabrizi of Iran on Wednesday, May 30, at 7 p.m. in Building 17, Room 307, main campus, 4000 E. 30th Avenue, Eugene. The film is free and open to the public. Registration is not required.
"The Lizard" describes the story of a convicted thief from Tehran, known as the Lizard for his ability to climb walls, who escapes from prison in the garb of an Iranian religious cleric, and his adoption as the spiritual leader of a small Iranian village. This masterful film contains both hilarious depictions of the Lizard stumbling and bumbling through his responsibilities as a religious leader, insights into and clever satire of contemporary Iranian religious and political leaders, as well as a series of serious meditations on the meaning of repentance, forgiveness, and the process of "taming" through love. The film received rave reviews by sellout Iranian crowds for the first weeks of its opening, before it was pulled from theaters throughout Iran, allegedly for its disrespectful depiction on the clergy. This funny and moving film offers a somewhat stereotypical view of life in an Iranian village, but one filled with a series of interesting characters. Moreover, this backdrop merely serves as the setting for a vision of the spiritual teachings of Shi'i Islam that the film argues have a broader appeal to the wider Iranian public, and that are ultimately not that different from humanistic values shared widely around the world.
The film series is part of Lane's Initiative on Islam and Other Religions launched in 2011 to broaden the understanding of religions in an academic setting. For more information go online at: http://www.lanecc.edu/scholarlectures/
For disability accommodations, contact Center for Accessible Resources at (541) 463-5150 or (541) 463-3079 (TTY).
Lane is an equal opportunity/affirmative action institution. Visit online at www.lanecc.edu or www.twitter.com/lanenews or www.facebook.com/lanecommunitycollege
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Media contact: Joan Aschim, PIO, aschimj@lanecc.edu or (541) 463-5591