The Tree that Remembers
(50 minutes) Canada/Iran/USA
Director: Masoud Raouf
Producers: Ravida Din and Sally Bochner

Description:

In 1992, a young Iranian student hanged himself from a tree on the outskirts of a small Ontario town. He had escaped the Ayatollah's regime but he could not escape his past.

News of the stranger's death hit home with filmmaker Masoud Raouf. He too is part of the generation of Iranians who rose up against the Shah's despotic rule only to be cruelly persecuted by an equally murderous new regime. The Tree that Remembers is his compassionate reflection on the betrayal of the 1979 Iranian revolution and the tenacity of the human spirit. Raouf assembles a group of Iranians, all former political prisoners like himself who were active in the democratic movement. Blending their testimony with historical footage and original artwork, Raouf honors the memory of the dead and celebrates the resilience of the living.

Biography:

Originally from Iran, where he studied painting, Masoud Raouf studied animation as an advanced student at Ontario's Sheridan College. He has taught animation courses at Concordia University, the Canadian Institute of Technology and Open City Productions.

He has directed a number of animated films, including Wings of Hope, Butterfly Over the Ocean and Many Lessons in Baidoba, and has also produced public service announcements against racism, which have been broadcast on Canadian TV. With The Tree that Remembers, his first film with the NFB, Raouf combines documentary and animation techniques. In addition to filmmaking, he is active with a number of human rights organizations. The Tree that Remembers has won several awards, including the Silver Award for Best Canadian Documentary and a Golden Sheaf Award for Best Social Documentary

Contact Information:

John Hoskyns-Abrahall, President
Bullfrog Films
P.O. Box 149
Oley, PA 19547
Phone: 800-543-FROG
Email: john@bullfrogfilms.com
http://www.bullfrogfilms.com