Raving Iran (2016)

Directed by: Susanne Regina Meures Runtime: 84 minutes Country: Switzerland, Iran Language: Farsi, English, German with English subtitles Rating: PG13 Awards BEST DOCUMENTARY Zurich Film Awards 2016 BEST DOCUMENTARY Filmfestival Kitzbuehel 2016 Synopsis Iranian DJs Anoosh and Arash (who perform together as Blade&Beard) are at the centre of Tehran’s underground techno scene. Because their activities are seen by the Iranian government as a harbinger of Western decadence, making music and organising raves is for them a constant struggle of evading authorities. Tired of hiding, the duo attempts one last techno rave in the desert under dangerous circumstances. However, when Anoosh is arrested at one of their clandestine parties, they decide to apply for asylum abroad. Hope comes in the form of an invitation to the world’s biggest techno festival in Switzerland. But upon arriving there, the haze of their initial euphoria quickly evaporates when the gravity of their situation begins to dawn on them.