Reform Cinema in Iran: Film and Political Change in the Islamic Republic (Film and Culture Series)

It is nearly impossible to separate contemporary Iranian cinema from the Islamic revolution that transformed film production in the country in the late 1970s. As the aims of the revolution shifted and hardened once Khomeini took power and as an eight-year war with Iraq dragged on, Iranian filmmakers confronted new restrictions. In the 1990s, however, the Reformist Movement, led by Mohammad Khatami, and the film industry, developed an unlikely partnership that moved audiences away from revolutionary ideas and toward a discourse of reform. In Reform Cinema in Iran, Blake Atwood examines how new industrial and aesthetic practices created a distinct cultural and political style in Iranian film between 1989 and 2007. Atwood analyzes a range of popular, art, and documentary films. He provides new readings of internationally recognized films such as Abbas Kiarostami's Taste of Cherry (1997) and Mohsen Makhmalbaf's Time for Love (1990), as well as those by Rakhshan Bani, Masud Kiami, and other key Iranian directors. At the same time, he also considers how filmmakers and the film industry were affected by larger political and religious trends that took shape during Mohammad Khatami's presidency (1997-2005). Atwood analyzes political speeches, religious sermons, and newspaper editorials and pays close attention to technological developments, particularly the rise of video, to determine their role in democratizing filmmaking and realizing the goals of political reform. He concludes with a look at the legacy of reform cinema, including films produced under Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, whose neoconservative discourse rejected the policies of reform that preceded him.

Humor & Entertainment

Atwood, Blake

Movies

Columbia University Press

It is nearly impossible to separate contemporary Iranian cinema from the Islamic revolution that transformed film production in the country in the late 1970s. As the aims of the revolution shifted and hardened once Khomeini took power and as an eight-year war with Iraq dragged on, Iranian filmmakers confronted new restrictions. In the 1990s, however, the Reformist Movement, led by Mohammad Khatami, and the film industry, developed an unlikely partnership that moved audiences away from revolutionary ideas and toward a discourse of reform. In Reform Cinema in Iran, Blake Atwood examines how new industrial and aesthetic practices created a distinct cultural and political style in Iranian film between 1989 and 2007. Atwood analyzes a range of popular, art, and documentary films. He provides new readings of internationally recognized films such as Abbas Kiarostami's Taste of Cherry (1997) and Mohsen Makhmalbaf's Time for Love (1990), as well as those by Rakhshan Bani, Masud Kiami, and other key Iranian directors. At the same time, he also considers how filmmakers and the film industry were affected by larger political and religious trends that took shape during Mohammad Khatami's presidency (1997-2005). Atwood analyzes political speeches, religious sermons, and newspaper editorials and pays close attention to technological developments, particularly the rise of video, to determine their role in democratizing filmmaking and realizing the goals of political reform. He concludes with a look at the legacy of reform cinema, including films produced under Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, whose neoconservative discourse rejected the policies of reform that preceded him.

How Iranians forged a vibrant, informal video distribution infrastructure when their government banned all home video technology in 1983. In 1983, the Iranian government banned the personal use of home video technology. In Underground, Blake Atwood recounts how in response to the ban, technology enthusiasts, cinephiles, entrepreneurs, and everyday citizens forged an illegal but complex underground system for video distribution. Atwood draws on archival sources including trade publications, newspapers, memoirs, films, and laws, but at the heart of the book lies a corpus of oral history interviews conducted with participants in the underground. He argues that videocassettes helped to institutionalize the broader underground within the Islamic Republic. As Atwood shows, the videocassette underground reveals a great deal about how people construct vibrant cultures beneath repressive institutions. It was not just that Iranians gained access to banned movies, but rather that they established routes, acquired technical knowledge, broke the law, and created rituals by passing and trading plastic videocassettes. As material objects, the videocassettes were a means of negotiating the power of the state and the agency of its citizens. By the time the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance lifted the ban in 1994, millions of videocassettes were circulating efficiently and widely throughout the country. The very presence of a video underground signaled the failure of state policy to regulate media. Embedded in the informal infrastructure--even in the videocassettes themselves--was the triumph of everyday people over the state.

Underground: The Secret Life of Videocassettes in Iran (Infrastructures)

History

Middle East

The MIT Press

Persian of Iran Today: Volume 1 is the first of two introductory Persian language textbooks by Anousha Shahsavari and Blake Atwood. Its innovative multimedia curriculum draws on the latest trends in language pedagogy and interweaves grammar- and vocabulary-building exercises with narrative elements in order to engage and develop students' abilities in Persian. Persian of Iran Today is a proficiency-based resource that gives equal weight to the development of reading, writing, listening, and speaking, and encourages students to use and create with the language from the very beginning. Persian of Iran Today is published by The University of Texas at Austin's Center for Middle Eastern Studies Publications program.

Persian of Iran Today, Volume 1 (Persian Edition)

Shahsavari, Anousha

UT Austin Center for Middle Eastern Studies

Lasting marriages don’t just survive. They thrive. Long-married spouses discover how to not just live with each other, but to love each other in a way that can only be described as godly. They’ve come to understand that the joys of marriage often arrive because of its many challenges, not despite them. Marriage is a perfectly imperfect relationship that’s hard, but worth it. After nearly forty years of marriage, Pastor Kurt Bubna knows that to be true. In three decades of leading churches, he’s also witnessed the hopes, hurts, confusion, and frustration of hundreds of married couples trying to love each other well in a world that urges selfishness over sacrifice. Combining his church members’ stories and his own “recovering idiot” experiences with insightful biblical knowledge, Pastor Kurt shares vital principles and practical advice that can help any marriage, in any stage, thrive for years on end.

Mr. and Mrs. How to Thrive in a Perfectly Imperfect Marriage: A Christian Marriage Advice Book

Religion & Spirituality

Bubna, Kurt W.

New Age & Spirituality

EssentiaLife Resources

When hurt takes you to a place of bitterness, you get stuck. Forgiveness frees you. We often focus on why people should forgive, but this book shows you how to forgive. In Stuck, Riggins shows how you can forgive and move forward. The concept of forgiveness is easy to understand, but the reality of living out your forgiveness is much harder. Using the acronym S.A.V.I.O.R., Riggins reveals six practical ways to forgive others. He shares real-life stories of forgiveness that reveal how Jesus forgives. If you want to forgive but don’t know how, then this book is for you.

Stuck: When You Want to Forgive but Don't Know How

Riggins, Mark

Christian Books & Bibles

Rainer Publishing

Breaking Bad showrunner Vince Gilligan wants to believe that heaven exists, but he "can't not" believe there's a hell. 
Throughout this fascinating TV show depicting the shocking life and tragic times of Walter White, Gilligan offers his singular glimpse into a morally amoral universe, a place not unlike the world we live in. This critically acclaimed TV series seeks to answer the question, "In a seeming world of chaos, can justice ultimately prevail?"The Gospel According to Breaking Bad takes a thoroughly Christian look at AMC's popular and critical TV hit. Covering such weighty theological issues like identity, death, justice, power, fate, free will, and the gospel itself, readers will be coerced into thinking more deeply about the universal questions Breaking Bad asks. In sections covering the colors and metaphors of Breaking Bad, fans will also come to a further appreciation for one of the most well-done TV series in recent history.More than just an entertaining RV ride through the Albuquerque desert, Breaking Bad presents two unique characters, Walter White and Jesse Pinkman, each on notably different trajectories in their lives. Are either redeemed by series' end? What do our reactions to their stories tell us about ourselves?
Through these stories and more, The Gospel According to Breaking Bad seeks to tell the old, old story through one of the most visceral and alluring stories of the present. As author Madeline L'Engle wrote, "Maybe you have to know the darkness before you can appreciate the light."ENDORSEMENTS"As a fan of Breaking Bad, and as a student of religion and popular culture, it's now clear to me that I haven't been paying close enough attention to the series' moral and spiritual dimensions. Thanks to The Gospel According to Breaking Bad, I won't make that mistake again." 
— Mark I. Pinsky, The Gospel According to The Simpsons
"One of the better Gospel According To's I've read, and I think I've read most of them."
— Cathleen Falsani Posseley, The Dude Abides: The Gospel According to the Coen Brothers
"The Gospel According to Breaking Bad is provocative, compelling, smart and a whole lot of fun."
— J.R. Forasteros, Pastor, Blogger, The Fascinating Podcast Host, Empathy for the Devil
“Blake Atwood is one of the most thoughtful Christians you’ll meet. He’s always dreaming up new ideas and projects. In The Gospel According to Breaking Bad, Blake applies his mind to yet another endeavor by taking a unique look at the spiritual elements of this popular television show. You’ve likely never read anything quite like it.”
— Jonathan Merritt
“By putting Walter White and company under the microscope, Atwood brings the elemental structure of the human soul into magnified clarity. Who knew a world of drug kingpins, pathological liars and narcissistic grandiosity could be so ripe with moral meaning? Examining Vince Gilligan’s post-modern tale of pilgrim’s regress through a gospel lens enables Atwood to offer up a redemptive future for all of us who live east of Eden. This is a must-read guide for all Breaking Bad fans who want to savor the final season as it unfolds."
— Brad Russell
"In The Gospel According to Breaking Bad, Blake Atwood brings a fan's passion, a critic's analysis and a Christian's perspective to bear on the most provocative television program in recent memory. If you find the show intriguing, perplexing or just plain compelling, you'll want to read this book. Spoiler alert: You'll find yourself in these pages."
— Marv Knox

The Gospel According to Breaking Bad

Television

AtWords Press

You've written a book, so now what? You may be asking yourself: • Should I hire an editor? • What kind of editor do I need? • How much will professional editing cost? • Where can I find an editor? • What will an editor expect from me? • What can I expect from an editor? Don't Fear the Reaper: Why Every Author Needs an Editor answers these questions and more, while also offering: • Advice on self-editing • How to best prepare your book for an editor • How to make an editor not like you so much • Why patience is key in writing and publishing Bonus chapters include the inspiring "Unveiling Validation's Hiding Place: How to Defeat Every Writer's Nightmare," with guest appearances (quotes) by the likes of John Steinbeck, Stephen King, and Anne Lamott, and the resourceful "20 Must-Read Books on Writing and Publishing." As menacing as editors may appear, you have no need to fear them. They may slice and dice your words and ideas, but they're on your side. Don't Fear the Reaper will help you make the most of your writer/editor relationship while encouraging you to keep pursuing the writing craft—one that admits no masters, but only lifelong students.

Don't Fear the Reaper: Why Every Author Needs an Editor

Reference

Words, Language & Grammar

It’s been a century since the last murder in the small town of Rosemont, Utah.
Hoping to quietly “retire” as Rosemont’s new Chief of Public Safety, former detective Tomas Arnesen steps into his role expecting to settle friendly disputes and the occasional instance of drunken domestic violence.
But when his best friend turns up dead with a point-blank gunshot wound to the head and becomes the first in a string of far-too-similar killings, Arnesen must fight to prevent history from repeating itself. Tomas will war with his past, the town’s history, and even those closest to him to bring Rosemont’s first serial killer to justice. If he fails, he’ll lose the woman who’s always adored him, the chance to redeem his hot-headed past, and possibly his life.
By unraveling the secrets of a small town whose history can’t hide lies forever, Arnesen knows: ultimately, someone must pay for the sins of the five fathers.

Sins of the Five Fathers

Mystery, Thriller & Suspense

Drury, James H.

Mystery

Iranian Cinema in a Global Context: Policy, Politics, and Form (Routledge Advances in Film Studies)

Iranian films have been the subject of much critical and scholarly attention over the past several decades, and Iranian filmmakers are mainstays of international film festivals. Yet most of the attention has been focused on a small segment of Iranian film production: auteurist art cinema. Iranian Cinema in a Global Context, on the other hand, takes account of the wide range of Iranian cinema, from popular youth films to low budget underground films. The volume also reassesses the global circulation of Iranian art cinema, looking at its reception at international festivals, in university curricula, and at the Academy Awards. A final theme of the volume explores the intersection between politics and film, with essays on post-Khatami reform influences, representations of ineffective drug policies, and the representation of Jewish characters in Iranian film. Taken together, the essays in this volume present a new definition of the field of Iranian film studies, one that engages global media flows, transmedia interaction, and a heterogeneous Iranian national cinema.

Iranian Cinema in a Global Context (Routledge Advances in Film Studies)

Routledge

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Atwood, Blake. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Atwood, Blake

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Atwood, Blake. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Reform Cinema in Iran: Film and Political Change in the Islamic Republic (Film and Culture Series)

Reform Cinema in Iran: Film and Political Change in the Islamic Republic (Film and Culture Series)

Underground: The Secret Life of Videocassettes in Iran (Infrastructures)

Persian of Iran Today, Volume 1 (Persian Edition)

Mr. and Mrs. How to Thrive in a Perfectly Imperfect Marriage: A Christian Marriage Advice Book

Stuck: When You Want to Forgive but Don't Know How

The Gospel According to Breaking Bad

Don't Fear the Reaper: Why Every Author Needs an Editor

Sins of the Five Fathers

Iranian Cinema in a Global Context (Routledge Advances in Film Studies)