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Thursday, January 27 at 7:30pm The North Beach Bandshell

Belarus-Germany-Russia | 127 minutes | 2021

Persian Lessons

Closing Night Premiere

Belarus' official entry to the Academy Awards for Best International Feature Film and from Vadim Perelman, director of the internationally acclaimed film The House of Sand and Fog that received three Academy Award nominations. Gilles, a young Belgian man, is arrested by the SS alongside other Jews and sent to a concentration camp in Germany. He narrowly avoids execution by swearing to the guards that he is not Jewish, but Persian. This lie temporarily saves him, but then Gilles is assigned a seemingly untenable mission: to teach Persian to Koch, the officer in charge of the camp's kitchen, who dreams of opening a restaurant in Persia (Iran) once the war is over. Gilles finds himself having to invent a language he doesn't know, word by word. As the unusual relationship between the two men begins to incite jealousy and suspicion, Gilles becomes acutely aware that one false move could expose his swindle.

Featuring a special live performance by musician Daphna Rose in observance of International Holocaust Remembrance Day.

Accompanying the film premiere is a virtual discussion with director Vadim Perelman and German Consulate General in Miami Andreas Siegal. To view the conversation please click here.

Awards

Belarus' entry to the Academy Awards for Best International Feature Film

Director's Bio

Directed by Vadim Perelman

Director Photo
Vadim Perelman is a Ukrainian-American film director. He made his feature film directorial debut in 2003 with The House of Sand and Fog, following a successful career as a commercial director. The film, nominated for three Academy Awards, starred Ben Kingsley and Jennifer Connelly. His next film, The Life Before Her Eyes, starred Uma Thurman and Evan Rachel Wood, and went on to win the Grand Jury Prize at the New Hampshire Film Festival.

Cast and Credits

Director

Vadim Perelman

Screenwriter

Ilja Zofin

Cinematographer

Vladislav Opelyants

Editor

Vessela Martschewski

Cast

Nahuel PĂ©rez Biscayart, Lars Eidinger, Jonas Nay

Film Info

Year

2021

Country

Belarus-Germany-Russia

Run-time

127 minutes

Language

German, French, Persian
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