WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass., Oct. 26, 2009 -- Two recent documentaries by Iranian director Rakhshan Bani-Etemad, "We are Half of Iran's Population" (2009) and "Angels of the House of Sun"(2009), will be shown for the first time in the United States at Williams College. The screening will take place on Monday, Nov. 2 at 6:30 p.m. in Paresky Performance Space.  A Q&A will follow the screening.

"We are Half of Iran's Population" takes place shortly before the June Presidential elections in Iran. The Women Rights Activists of Iran pose their questions to presidential candidates of Iran, and three of those candidates discuss their opinions after watching the film. Current President Mahmoud Ahmedinejad was not willing to take part in the film or to respond. By the time the film was completed, three of the individuals who took part landed in prison during the post-election protests and detentions. The film provides an extraordinarily intimate glimpse into the current situation in Iran.

"Angels of the House of Sun" is about a women's shelter in one of Tehran's poorest neighborhoods, where women gather a few hours a day to respite from daily abuse and tragic problems of poverty and drugs.

Rakhshan Bani-Etemad is among the most prominent Iranian film directors. She received a degree in film directing from the Faculty of Dramatic Arts at the Tehran University. Initially, she worked as a reporter but soon became interested in directing and screenwriting. She began examining and documenting various social and political issues in modern Iran, as well as the situation of women in Iranian society. "Foreign Currency" (1989), "Nargess" (1992), "The May Lady" (1998), and "Gilaneh" (2004) are just a few of the highly successful films she has directed. Bani-Etemad has received a number of local and international awards for her work, from the Fajr Film Festival, the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival, and the Locarno International Film Festival.

The event is sponsored by the Stanley Kaplan Program in American Foreign Policy, the International Studies program, Middle Eastern Studies, the Gaudino Fund, The Religion Department, The Schuman Fund, and the Women's and Gender Studies Program.

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