COUP 53
Special Features: Q&A with filmmaker Taghi Amirani
Ten years in the making, COUP 53 tells the story of the 1953 Anglo-American coup d'état that overthrew Iran's government under Prime Minister Mohammad Mossadegh and reinstalled the Shah. While making a documentary about the coup, Iranian director Taghi Amirani and Academy Award®-winning editor Walter Murch (APOCALYPSE NOW, THE CONVERSATION, THE ENGLISH PATIENT) discover extraordinary, never-seen-before archive material, hidden for decades. The 16mm footage and documents not only allow the filmmakers to tell the story of the overthrow of the Iranian government in unprecedented detail, but also lead to explosive revelations about dark secrets buried for nearly 70 years. What begins as a history documentary about four days in August of 1953 turns into a live investigation, taking the filmmakers into uncharted cinematic waters. The roots of Iran's volatile relationship with Britain and America have never been so forensically and dramatically exposed. In an inspired bit of hybrid documentary filmmaking, the film features Academy Award®-nominated actor Ralph Fiennes performing from the transcripts of former MI6 agent Norman Derbyshire, to recreate the bombshell revelations Derbyshire made in his long-suppressed interview. Winner, Most Popular International Documentary Film, 2019 Vancouver International Film Festival. Official Selection, 2019 Telluride and London film festivals; 2020 Palm Springs International Film Festival. DIR/SCR/PROD Taghi Amirani; SCR Walter Murch. UK/Iran, 2019, color, 118 min. In English, Persian and Italian with English subtitles. NOT RATED
AFI Member passes accepted.
Run Time: 118 Minutes
Opening Date: Sunday, April 02, 2023
Genre: Documentary
