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A North Carolina native is making waves in the international film community. Ramin Bahrani’s bold and independent films have earned him acclaim worldwide, and The Chicago-Sun Times’ Roger Ebert even said that “Ramin Bahrani is the new great American director.” Whether his character is a young Latino boy in the gritty streets of Queens or an elderly gentlemen who attempts to regain his past, Bahrani’s powerful stories continue to break visual and emotional ground with fresh points of view.
“Bahrani, who writes, directs, produces and edits his own films, is something of an auteur, and his work is truly inspiring in that he is able to deliver compelling dramatic material by working with the independent model,” wrote Assistant Professor of Film Kathleen Man in an e-mailed statement. “His stories are refreshingly humanistic, and provide an oasis of thought-provoking work in the midst of market-driven fare,” she continued.
As a Columbia University graduate with a bachelor’s degree in film, Bahrani has had great success since his first feature film Man Push Cart was released in 2005. Set in New York City, the film features the story of a Pakistani cart pusher whose distant past includes being a rock star. The film premiered at the Venice Film Festival in 2005 and was later screened at The Sundance Film Festival in 2006.
Bahrani’s next film from 2007—Chop Shop—depicts the tough life of an orphan named Alejandro who tries to persevere amidst the backdrop of New York City violence, poverty and the daily struggles he and his sister, Isamar, must endure. Chop Shop earned Bahrani the Acura “Someone to Watch” Independent Spirit Award in 2008, and was also an official selection in numerous events including the 2007 Toronto Film Festival. “He has managed to do what so many young filmmakers only dream of, which is to make his own films outside of the conventional system and thus maintain authorial control,” stated Man.
The 2008 film Goodbye Solo —Bahrani’s most recent production—has also attained critical praise. This is Bahrani’s first film set in North Carolina—unlike his earlier two films which are set in New York. Goodbye Solo follows the merging friendship between an older man and a hard-working Senegalese cab driver. As a The New York Times Critic’s Pick, A.O. Scott said, “grace is what defines Mr. Bahrani’s filmmaking. I can’t think of anything else to call the quality of exquisite attention, wry humor and wide-awake intelligence that informs every frame of this almost perfect film.”
Bahrani’s lecture at Vassar is part a guest filmmakers series, the purpose of which is to inspire film majors, non-majors and anyone interested in the filmmaking process. “I applied for an institutional grant from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences in January 2009 to support a guest filmmaker series for our academic year 2009-2010. In April, I received the news that Vassar was granted a substantial fund to support the series,” said Man. “Over the summer, I made inquiries with several prominent filmmakers and was fortunate to secure Ramin Bahrani as our first guest filmmaker.”
“The scope of the filmmaker series is broad, in the sense that we would like to invite industry professionals who work in different key departments (direction, screenwriting, cinematography, lighting, editing, sound, etc.). I think a lot of our production students could learn a great deal from Mr. Bahrani,” explained Man. Bahrani’s motion picture production company, Noruz Films, deals with many aspects of filmmaking that are at the core of the entire filmmaker series.
“Nowadays, with financing and distribution systems falling apart and people desperately trying to figure out what the new film/television/web industry will look like, filmmakers have more obstacles than ever before to get their films made and seen,” explained Man. With the financial crunch seeping into every sector of the economy, creative and new ideas in independent filmmaking are crucial. “It’ll take a lot of creative and innovative thinking—as well as sheer stamina and determination—to overcome those odds and see it through, and someone like Ramin Bahrani can speak to these challenges with a great deal of insight,” said Man. “Anybody interested in American filmmaking, independent film or the future of American cinema would find his lecture interesting. Mr. Bahrani’s films are incredibly moving, and to meet the writer/director behind these films is quite an opportunity.”
Bahrani will give a lecture on Thursday, Nov. 5 at 5 p.m. in the Rosenwald Screening Room in Vogelstein Center for Drama and Film.
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