To Light a Candle provides a powerful account of the Baha’is in Iran, the country’s largest non-Muslim religious minority. Following the 1979 Islamic revolution, Baha’is face systematic persecution including arrests, imprisonment and executions. They are also forbidden from attending or teaching at universities.
Through compelling interviews, personal stories and exclusive archival material – often smuggled out of Iran at great personal risk – the film shines a light on the underground Baha’i Institute of Higher Education (BIHE). Established in 1987, it has garnered support from educators around the world.
To Light a Candle chronicles the lives of Iran’s Baha’is, who, through their commitment to spreading knowledge, have triumphed against unbelievable hardship.
The one-hour film will be followed by a panel discussion and refreshments.
Panelists include:
- The Hon. Kelvin Thomson MP – Federal Member for Wills
- Ms. Azita Sobhani – family member of imprisoned BIHE teachers
- Dr. Vargha Taefi – former BIHE student
Seating is limited – please book early to avoid disappointment.
Advance bookings are essential.
What: To Light a Candle
When: Sunday 31st August, 2pm
Where: Village Roadshow Theatrette State Library of Victoria Cnr. Swanston and La Trobe Sts. (enter via Entry 3, 179 La Trobe St)
Cost: Tickets: $15 Book at https://tolightacandle.eventbrite.com.au
More information: abc – at – vic.bahai.org.au or (03) 9497 5984
Download a Flyer for this event
About the Director:
Maziar Bahari is an Iranian Canadian journalist and filmmaker. He has produced a number of documentaries and news reports for broadcasters around the world including BBC, Channel4, HBO, Discovery, Canal+ and NHK and was a reporter for Newsweek from 1998 to 2011.
Bahari graduated with a degree in communications from Concordia University in Montreal in 1993. Soon after, he made his first film The Voyage of the Saint Louis (1994). His films include Paint! No Matter What (1999), Football, Iranian Style (2001), And Along Came a Spider (2002), Mohammad and the Matchmaker (1994), Targets: Reporters in Iraq (2005), Greetings from Sadr City (2007), Online Ayatollah (2008), The Fall of a Shah (2009), An Iranian Odyssey (2010), From Cyrus to Ahmadinejad (2011) and Forced Confessions (2012). His production company, Off-Centre Productions, was launched in 1998. A retrospective of Bahari’s films was organized by the International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam in November 2007.
Bahari has been a jury member of number of international film festivals. In September 2009, Bahari was nominated for the Prince of Asturias Award for Concord.
During the 2009 Iranian Election Protests he was arrested without charge, and detained in Evin prison for 118 days. Then They Came for Me, Bahari’s family memoir, was published by Random House in June 2011. Rosewater, a film by Jon Stewart based on the book and starring Gael Garcia Bernal, is currently in post-production.
In 2013, Bahari launched Iranwire.com, which focuses on current affairs, culture and politics, and is available in both Persian and English. Journalism for Change, a platform devoted to citizen journalism and the promotion of quality and innovative reporting across the globe, will be launched in 2014.
