Celluloid Underground

Official Selection, 2023 BFI London Film Festival
Official Selection, 2023 Vienna International Film Festival

An Iranian exile in London pays tribute to his enigmatic friend Ahmad, an avid film collector who hid thousands of 35mm prints after the Iranian Revolution in 1979, when private stashes like his became illegal. In his fading celluloid prints are mementos of a cosmopolitan, movie-mad Iran. Through interviews and a touching narration of time regained, the story of two cinephiles and their decades-long journey through film history and the brutal whims of political change blooms into a documentary elegy for friendship and movie love.

The screening of the movie CELLULOID UNDERGROUND is free for members of PacArts and features a special pre-reception from 6:30–8:00PM in front of the UltraStar Cinemas box office. Members can redeem their free ticket(s) online by using the code provided in the general membership e-newsletter. For any assistance, please email membership@pacarts.org.

Co-presented by the Persian Cultural Center.