Our Summer in Tehran
(59 minutes) Iran/USA

Director: Justine Shapiro
Producer: Marjaneh Moghimi

Description:

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 GlobeTrekker, takes her 6-year-old son Mateo with her to Tehran where they spend the summer with three families: a religious family with ties to the government; a cosmopolitan, secular family; and a single mom who is an actress. When the Iranian government abruptly gives Justine and Mateo forty-eight hours to leave the country, promising relationships are severed.

Biography:

Justine Shapiro was born in South Africa and grew up in Berkeley, California.  After graduating with degrees in history and theater from Tufts University, she traveled the world, studied acting, and ended up in Los Angeles as the proverbial struggling actress, waiting tables and nabbing a few small roles in TV and film. A job teaching English as a second language to immigrants inspired her to take the next step in her life. Everyday in the classroom she heard incredible life stories from cultures all around the world. Justine wanted to tell these kinds of stories. As a result, Justine returned to the Bay Area to study documentary filmmaking. At around the same time, Justine was also lucky enough to be chosen as one of the hosts for the PBS travel show, GlobeTrekker. Between 1994 and 2004 Justine traveled to over forty countries and interviewed hundreds of locals from all walks of life. In 1996 she co-founded the nonprofit production company Promises Films with B.Z. Goldberg. Their Academy Award-nominated, Emmy award-winning feature documentary Promises (2001) was released in over twenty countries and was nationally broadcast on the PBS series POV in the US. Justine is also a mom, and Justine and her (then) 6-year-old son visit Iran in her new documentary film, Our Summer in Tehran.

Contact Information:

Promises Films
2600 Tenth Street, Suite 620
Berkeley, CA 94710
E-mail: justineshapiro@promisesfilms.com
Web site: www.oursummerintehran.com