Iranian Shadows, Park City Light

One supposes the Park City Institute was quite pleased with the buzz surrounding The Friend's House is Here. A film smuggled out of Iran, naturally. The drama, of course, extended beyond the narrative itself. The Eccles was… passable. Not entirely overrun, which is a minor triumph given the usual Sundance crush, though the complimentary flute-glass gold champagne was distinctly lukewarm. The real tragedy, however, wasn’t the logistical hurdles faced by the filmmakers – a harrowing border crossing, a film hidden within a religious broadcast – but the fact that Hana Mana and Mahshad Bahram, the actresses themselves, were denied visas. To be lauded at Sundance, then barred from experiencing the acclaim? A particularly gauche irony. One heard murmurs about US travel bans, a tiresome topic for cocktail hour. Apparently, the filmmakers, who also consult on Hollywood projects, are now back in Los Angeles, pitching new concepts, a perfectly predictable trajectory. The whole affair felt less about celebrating art, and more about a very particular shade of guilt-tinged philanthropy. One suspects Jafar Panahi understands this dynamic all too well. The step-and-repeat red was, predictably, a sea of muted tones.