CWC Global: And, Towards Happy Alleys
- Tuesday, March 12, 2024 / 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM (PDT)
- Pollock Theater
- Screening Format: 4k digital projection (75 minutes)
- With Sreemoyee Singh (director/producer)
Inspired by Iranian cinema and the poetry of Forough Farrokhzad, Indian filmmaker Sreemoyee Singh’s And, Towards Happy Alleys (2023) bears witness to how resistance has become a daily act of survival in contemporary Iranian society. Through interviews conducted over the course of six years—including conversations with filmmakers Jafar Panahi and Mohammad Shirvani, and human rights activist Nasrin Sotudeh—Singh reveals the precarious position of the Iranian regime’s critics, at constant risk of being banned from practicing their respective professions or, worse, imprisoned. Alongside these voices, the film documents the experiences of everyday Iranian women, revealing the profound impact of the regime on their daily lives. The film is both a passionate homage to Iranian cinema and poetry, and a stirring testament to those on the front lines of the protest movements currently rocking the country.
Filmmaker Sreemoyee Singh joined moderator Shiva Balaghi (Area Global Initiative, UCSB) for a post-screening discussion of And, Towards Happy Alleys.
Biographies
Sreemoyee Singh (director/producer)
Sreemoyee Singh is a filmmaker and producer from Kolkata, India. She holds a PhD degree from the department of Film Studies at Jadavpur University. She learned Farsi and traveled to Iran to film her debut documentary And, Towards Happy Alleys, which launched at the Berlinale International Film Festival (Panorama section) in February 2023. The film has screened at more than 25 prestigious film festivals, including CPH:DOX (Denmark), Thessaloniki (Greece), Sheffield (UK), DMZ Docs (South Korea), Antenna Film Festival (Australia), Jio MAMI (India), and Docpoint Helsinki (Finland). The film won the best feature award in the International Competition at BAFICI, Argentina. Sreemoyee has worked as Assistant Professor of Film Studies at St. Joseph’s University, Bangalore, and a Guest Lecturer at New York University, Abu Dhabi (NYUAD). She is the recipient of the Golden Globe Foundation Residency for International Filmmakers.
Moderator Shiva Balaghi (Area Global Initiative, UCSB)
Shiva Balaghi, PhD, is a cultural historian, specializing in the visual culture of the Middle East and its diasporas. She is Academic Coordinator of the Area Global Initiative at UCSB.
This event is sponsored by the Carsey-Wolf Center.
CWC Global
Media are global by nature; they express culture just as much as they transcend borders. The CWC Global series is dedicated to showcasing media from around the world. This series features screenings and events that place UCSB in conversation with international media makers and global contexts across our deeply connected world.
CWC Docs
The Carsey-Wolf Center is committed to screening documentaries from across the world that engage with contemporary and historical issues, especially regarding social justice and environmental concerns. Documentaries allow filmmakers to address pressing issues and frame the critical debates of our time.