Caitlin Peterson
In Motion Staff Writer
For the past five years, Daytona State College and Cinematique of Daytona have presented select highlights from the annual NOOR Iranian Film Festival and this year’s centerpiece was ‘Audience Favorite’ winner, “Nowruz Lost & Found,” directed by K’von Moezzi.
The objective of the festival is to shed “noor” or light on Iranian culture through cinema and Moezzi’s “Nowruz Lost & Found” does just that. The comedic documentary takes the viewer along for his unforgettable journey, and the audience at the Southeast Museum of Photography was among the first in the world to see the full length feature.
Michelle Cretella/In Motion
“A lot of Persian movies focus on very heavy topics and even depict Persians as very sad. But I know from my experience that these people are quite the opposite and that’s what I wanted to share,” said Moezzi.
A powerhouse of positive energy, Moezzi has appeared on two seasons of MTV’s prank show, “Disaster Date,” the Showtime channel with Russell Peters, CNN’s “HLN” and ABC’s “Good Morning America.” When he’s not on tour, Moezzi, who lives in Reno, Nev., often shares the stage with some of the biggest names in comedy, including Daniel Tosh and Dane Cook.
“Although Nowruz, the Persian New Year, is a holiday celebrated by millions of people worldwide, people in the United States aren’t really aware of it,” said Moezzi.
Moezzi himself wasn’t even aware of the holiday until he was an adult.
Ultimately, instead of getting angry with his father for not educating his family about Persian culture, Moezzi grabbed a camera crew and set out to learn about a traditional holiday he was previously unaware of.
The one-of-a-kind, comedy-based documentary not only teaches about the history of Iran, but it also provides an inside look at life on the road as a comedian, all while managing to keep the audience laughing.
“A lot of people aren’t really aware of anything regarding Iran, other than what they see on the news, so it’s great that the film is so positive,” said Pat Konover, a guest at the event held at the end of January.
Admission to the event included a cocktail reception, dinner and dessert catered by the College, Moezzi’s famous stand-up comedy, a screening of the film, and a Q&A session with Moezzi himself.
T-shirts and DVDs were available for purchase and guests quickly got in line to take home their own little pieces of Nowruz.
Overall the NOOR Iranian Film Festival successfully illuminated unique aspects of Iranian culture, and taught that Christmas and Easter have a lot in common with Nowruz so the two cultures aren’t so different after all.
Preceding “Nowruz Lost & Found,” Cinematique of Daytona presented a shorts program that included the winner of ‘Best Short Film,’ “More Than Two Hours” and ‘Best Animation’ winner, “The Hard Dream.”
Now in its seventh year, the NOOR Iranian Film Festival provides an open platform for filmmakers to express themselves, create dialogue on a global scale and build a community of Iranians and non-Iranians alike.
The Ancient Persia – Modern Iran Program Series is a joint presentation of the Iranian American Society, Bethune-Cookman University, Daytona State College, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, the Southeast Museum of Photography and the Department of Cultural Arts at Daytona State College.