The Our Summer In Tehran was a Berkeley FILM Foundation grant winner. Tickets for this event are $10 and benefit the Berkeley Film Foundation, a grant program for independent filmmakers with a mission to nurture, sustain and preserve the thriving Berkeley Film community while attracting the next generation of filmmakers.

The Berkeley FILM Foundation focuses on supporting the ideals reflected in Berkeley culture: social, historical and innovative documentary and dramatic works. It is made possible through funding from the City of Berkeley, Wareham Development, the Saul Zaentz Company, and others.

About the Film:

A Jewish American mom and her six year-old son spend a summer in Tehran getting to know three Iranian families from very different backgrounds.

In her Oscar nominated documentary, Promises, filmmaker Justine Shapiro took us into the lives of Palestinians and Israeli children in and around Jerusalem. Justine's new documentary, Our Summer in Tehran, transports us into the seldom seen realm of middle class family life in Iran transcending overt politics in favor of subtle, human, and often humorous moments.

Justine, a Jewish-American filmmaker and former host of the travel series
Globe Trekker, takes her 6-year-old son Mateo with her to Tehran where they spend the summer with 3 families: a religious family with ties to the
government; a modern, secular family; and a single mom who is an actress. When the Iranian government abruptly gives Justine and Mateo 48 hours to leave the country, promising relationships are severed.

Filmed in 2007. In English and Persian with English subtitles. 60 minutes.