Getting the inside track from Reza . . .

Iranian Taboo was the most difficult film every made by Iranian-Dutch filmmaker Reza Allamehzadeh, he told the official Iranian Taboo website.

He said: “I have made several challenging documentaries during my long career as a filmmaker; films like ‘Speak out Turkmen!’ on the bloody war between well organised army of the newly established Islamic regime of Iran (1979) and poorly organised Turkmen tribe in the northern Iran or ‘Holy Crime’ on State terrorism of the Islamic government in Europe, which resulted in assassination of more than 80 well-known dissidents, in just one decade.

 “But none of them was as difficult to make as the ‘Iranian Taboo’. In spite of the fact that I’m banned to enter my homeland, I managed to film deep inside Iran, with the help of devoted friends who risked their lives to film the footage that I needed for this film. Organising and obtaining access to the vast range of the interviewees in this film, from Shirin Ebadi to Abolhassan Banisadr was another challenging point that I managed to overcome. ‘Iranian Taboo’ is the most personal documentary that I have ever made!”

Thames Valley Baha’i Community will let you know as soon as we know that a DVD of Iranian Taboo is available!

 

Are you content, even when things go wrong?

Contentment will be the subject for eight to 11 year olds in the first children’s class of 2012 – on Sunday 29 January.

Myra Erbenova, who leads the classes, said: “In spite of all the suffering that filled His life, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá never became disheartened. Through the most grave and difficult times, He remained content and thankful to God.

“He used to tell the friends that it is easy to be content when everything is going well, when one is healthy and living in comfort. What is more difficult is to feel happy and content in times of trouble, in times of illness and hardship.”

The children will sing a song about contentment and memorise the quotation – ‘The source of all glory is acceptance of whatsoever the Lord hath bestowed, and contentment with that which God hath ordained’. They will hear a story about how misfortune can turn into a blessing.

More details about the children’s classes can be found on our children page.