The Iran Job
Documentary Competition
(Germany , Iran , USA, 2012, 93 mins)
In English, Farsi with English subtitles
World Premiere
Directed By: Till Schauder
Executive Producer: Abigail Disney
Producers: Sara Nodjoumi, Till Schauder
Cinematographer: Till Schauder
Editor: David Teague
Music: Shahin Nadjafi, Jadugaran, ZedBazi, A2, Kareem Roustum
Featuring: Kevin Sheppard, Leah Sheppard, Hilda, Laleh , Elaheh, Abdullah, Zoran "Z" Milicic, Center, Kami Jamshidvand, Forward, Ali Doraghi, Center, Mehdi Shirjang, Forward, Gholamreza Khajeh, Team Owner, Asadollah Kabir, Coach, Fereidoon Reisi, Manager, Mohammad Ahmadi, Analysis Coach, Ehsan, Driver
Director Till Schauder spent a year in Iran with journeyman American pro basketball player Kevin Sheppard, who signed on to play for the upstart Iranian Super League team A.S. Shiraz as one of two non-Iranian players (his roommate is a giant Serb). This lively, well-told tale is not simply a standard “fish out of water” sports doc: it’s also a snapshot of the radical fissures in Iranian society. Sheppard, a gregarious charmer, makes friends wherever he goes and forms a fascinating relationship with three strong, independent Iranian women who bristle at the restrictions of an oppressive theocracy. Their touching, unlikely bond makes for an illuminating study in cross cultural understanding.