RADIO DREAMS

Hamid (actor/musician Mohsen Namjoo) immigrates to the U.S. to pursue his writing career and the American Dream. Instead, seek salve he winds up working at a small Iranian radio station, seeking artistic satisfaction through the esoteric programming he puts together for his radio audience. Meanwhile, the owners of the station try to cash in on Hamid’s only program that they see fit for commercial success – the bringing together of an on-air jam session with Kabul Dreams and their long-time idols, Metallica. The ensuing collision between artistic integrity and crass commercialism resonates with hilarity and a poignant message, as Hamid fights to maintain a balance between his ambitions and his moral compass.

“With the characters in this film, even though they are not in the worst condition, they are still out of place, finding their way. I was lucky, I was seven, they took my hand and said, we’re getting on a plane, we’re moving. I went to school, I learned English easily. My older brother suffered considerably more. The people in the film, they came in their 20s and 30s. They left a life behind. It’s very difficult.“

Babal Jalali for WsWs.org