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Nobody Knows About the Persian Cats

Play trailer Poster for Nobody Knows About the Persian Cats 2010 1h 46m Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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95% Tomatometer 62 Reviews 76% Popcornmeter 2,500+ Ratings
Two young musicians, Negar (Negar Shaghaghi) and Ashkan (Ashkan Koshanejad), are released from prison. They immediately immerse themselves in the underground rock scene in Tehran, Iran -- "underground" because playing in public venues is outlawed. They plan to escape from their repressive country to play a concert in Europe, but first they need to find a rhythm section and some passports. They place their hope in Nader (Hamed Behdad), a savvy fixer who promises to get them to their gig.
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Nobody Knows About the Persian Cats

Nobody Knows About the Persian Cats

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Critics Consensus

Bringing a dose of humor and a fresh perspective to a very serious subject, No One Knows About Persian Cats is an exhilarating, quietly powerful tribute to the courage of Iran's underground musicians.

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Critics Reviews

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Nicolas Rapold Film Comment Magazine 07/01/2013
What really distinguishes the film-banned in Iran, it goes without saying-is the enormous risks these musicians take, which Ghobadi ultimately drives home with legitimate dramatic license. Go to Full Review Cliff Doerksen Chicago Reader 12/30/2010
An appealing cast of aspiring young musicians ostensibly play themselves in this naive, shapeless, but often fascinating 2009 drama. Go to Full Review Ann Hornaday Washington Post 05/14/2010
3.5/4
Ghobadi has emerged as a filmmaker whose gift for poetic realism was only equaled by an unerring sense of precisely when and how to break the viewer's heart. Go to Full Review Rene Jordan El Nuevo Herald (Miami) 07/20/2022
These young men don’t pretend to act, rather they live within the real threat, without the intent of a melodramatic thriller. [Full review in Spanish] Go to Full Review Stuart McGurk NME (New Musical Express) 05/19/2021
3.5/5
A rambling but powerful docu-style drama about underground Iranian indie... Go to Full Review Richard Propes TheIndependentCritic.com 09/18/2020
3.5/4.0
The film is loosely structured, mostly out of necessity given the constraints of filming under constant threat, but this gives the film a sense of unpredictability. Go to Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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12/31/2020 Amazing movie - and heartbreakingly true to Iranians. The most maligned people in the world. See more Gina W 03/26/2015 An appealing cast of aspiring young musicians ostensibly play themselves in this fascinating 2009 drama at danger to themselves. It's funny while being a powerful tribute to the courage of Iran's underground musicians. Unfortunately, it doesn't end well. See more 08/07/2014 love the film's title and as someone who had a persian cat for 14 years so yes i DO know about persian cats! See more 06/20/2014 c est plus un documentaire qu'un film See more 01/09/2014 Sad and funny; makes quite a statement. See more 03/12/2013 This a movie to see. Not because it is action packed or a great story but because it shows that the same drive for artistic expression exists everywhere. This film shows a culture very different from my own and the extreme rules they are under in order to even get a permit to perform. I was moved by the efforts the musicians go through to try and get out and publicly perform. The ending could have been different. Thought it was a bit dramatic for this piece. The music is outstanding and I plan to purchase the soundtrack. See more Read all reviews
Nobody Knows About the Persian Cats

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Cast & Crew

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Bahman Ghobadi

Director

Negar Shaghaghi

Negar

Ashkan Koshanejad

Ashkan

Hamed Behdad

Nader

Bahman Ghobadi

Screenwriter

Hossein Mortezaeiyan

Screenwriter

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Nobody Knows About the Persian Cats

Nobody Knows About the Persian Cats (2009) View more photos

Movie Info

Synopsis Two young musicians, Negar (Negar Shaghaghi) and Ashkan (Ashkan Koshanejad), are released from prison. They immediately immerse themselves in the underground rock scene in Tehran, Iran -- "underground" because playing in public venues is outlawed. They plan to escape from their repressive country to play a concert in Europe, but first they need to find a rhythm section and some passports. They place their hope in Nader (Hamed Behdad), a savvy fixer who promises to get them to their gig.
Director
Bahman Ghobadi
Producer
Bahman Ghobadi
Screenwriter
Bahman Ghobadi, Hossein Mortezaeiyan, Roxana Saberi
Distributor
IFC Films
Genre
Drama
Original Language
Persian
Release Date (Theaters)
Apr 16, 2010, Limited
Release Date (Streaming)
Apr 6, 2017
Box Office (Gross USA)
$79.8K
Runtime
1h 46m