Podcasts TV Kicking the Seat Ep849: IndieSeen: NO BEARS (2022)

Ep849: IndieSeen: NO BEARS (2022)

Published: Feb. 9, 2023, 11:28 a.m.

In one of this series' timeliest episodes ever, Ian and Sujewa discuss Jafar Panahi's wildly dangerous film, No Bears!

Panahi plays a version of himself, an exiled filmmaker who secretly shoots a movie by directing his actors and crew from a remote village in which he's hiding out. Things get complicated when, during his off-hours wanderings, he photographs a young couple who are having an affair. The villagers demand that Panahi hand over the evidence, which ignites a cultural and religious firestorm in the community. On top of that, the actors in Panahi's film run into troubles of their own.

That's a surface reading of the plot, which spirals deeper into the realities of the actors, characters, and production team. In fact it wasn't until last week that the movie truly concluded--with Panahi's real-world hunger strike in an Iranian prison, and his subsequent release (he'd been locked up since July 2022 for protesting and making "anti-government propaganda films").

Ian and Sujewa get into all of this and more while reviewing one of last year's very best movies.

Also, Sujewa teases his newest venture, a series of L.A. screenings spotlighting independent films, called "Indie Discovery L.A."--and the guys make plans to cover a documentary about arthouse theatres called, Only in Theaters!

Timestamps:

  • Intro: 0:00 - 1:25

  • What's New with Sujewa? 1:26 - 9:30

  • No Bears Review: 9:31 - 48:19

  • Outro: 48:20 - 50:56

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