Kurdistan Observer

On Wednesday, September 25th and Friday, September 27th, the Corcoran Gallery of Art will premiere the latest feature film of Kurdish-Iranian film director Bahman Ghobadi before it receives US distribution.

In two exciting evenings, organized in association with Renee Wright of Lens to Lens, Inc., and co-presented with the ILEX Foundation and Search for Common Ground, the Corcoran Gallery of Art will show the Washington premiere of another Bahman Ghobadi film, which is expected by critics to be as compelling as his first film - A Time For Drunken Horses. This film will once again pay tribute to the director's ancestral heritage of Kurdistan. The images of rugged snow-capped terrain in the heart of winter are captivating and they transport the viewer into uncharted lands. Ghobadi will discuss the film after the screenings with the audience. Noted author and expert on Iranian Cinema, Godfrey Cheshire, will accompany Ghobadi for the question and answer session after the screening on Wednesday, September 25th.

On Thursday, September 26th, Bahman Ghobadi will speak to Montgomery County's Springbrook High School in Silver Spring, MD. The "Modern World" 10th grade class enrolled in Springbrook's International Baccalaureate program will view Ghobadi's highly acclaimed 2000 film, A Time For Drunken Horses. They will then meet the artist to discuss the theme and subject matter of the film that depicts the life of Kurds living in Iranian Kurdistan. This unprecedented event will provide the students an opportunity to gain perspective on life in Kurdistan and Iran.

Also on September 26th, Ghobadi will share his insights on his homeland at 7:00 PM at Rust Branch Library of Loudoun County in Leesburg, VA preceding the secreening of A Time For Drunken Horses.

Bahman Ghobadi recently made his acclaimed feature film debut on the international scene with A Time For Drunken Horses, winning Camera D'Or and Best First Film at the 2000 Cannes Film Festival. Filmmaker Werner Herzog praised the film, saying: "I have not been so moved by a film [A Time For Drunken Horses] in a long time".

CORCORAN GALLERY OF ART APPEARANCES

WHEN & Where: Wednesday, September 25, 7:00 PM and Friday, September 27, 7:00 PM at the Corcoran Gallery of Art, Frances & Armand Hammer Auditorium, Corcoran Gallery of Art, 500 17th Street, NW, Washington, D.C.

Tickets: Members $8; Non-Members $10

RSVP: To RSVP, please call Susan Kenney in the Public Affairs office at (202) 639-1703. For more information about this event, or other public programs at the Corcoran Gallery of Art, please contact the Public Programs office at (202) 639-1770. This event is open to the press.

PUBLIC SCHOOL & LIBRARY APPEARANCES

WHEN & Where: Thursday, September 26, Morning Class, Springbrook High School, 201 Valley Brook Drive, Silver Spring, MD.

Thursday, September 26, 7:00 PM, Rust Branch Library of Loudoun County, 380 Old Waterford Road, NW, Leesburg, VA.

FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC

These events have been made possible through generous contributions of the ILEX Foundation and John W. Kiser, III and the William & Mary Greve Foundation, Inc.