Showtime: Saturday, 11 November, 7:45 PM, Innis Town Hall

Sierra Urich, USA, 2023, 110’, Canadian Premiere

In English and Farsi, with English subtitles

Cleveland FF 2023, Winner, Best Documentary; Sundance FF 2023, Nominated, Grand Jury Prize

Sierra Urich will be in attendance for an on-stage interview and conversation with the audience

Filmmaker Sierra Urich grew up in rural Vermont, far removed from Iran, the homeland of her mother, Mitra, and grandmother, Behjat. Only knowing Iran through family stories, food, and holidays. With the prospect of travel to the country a seemingly impossible dream, she embarks on a personal quest to make sense of her fractured Iranian identity.

Navigating barriers of language and culture, Sierra turns to Mitra and Behjat to construct a deeply moving and sometimes disarmingly funny portrait of three generations of women and their complex relationship to an Iran of the past.

Named for a Farsi term of endearment and infused with humor, JOONAM is a film about family history and memory, including her grandmother’s experiences as a Baha’i and a preteen bride, and her mother’s rebellious teenage years during the Iranian Revolution, Sierra Urich constructs a rich, personal film that poignantly reflects the experiences of the Iranian diasporic community and speaks to anyone affected by the dislocation that accompanies immigration.

Reviews and videos available at JOONAMFILM.COM