University’s Persian Studies Program reported the success of its first-ever conference on the “Cultures of the Iranian Diaspora” held on April 11-12. A total of thirty participants, ranging from writers and playwrights to artists, musicians and filmmakers, engaged the audience with their insights and challenges in representing Iran, Iranian culture and Iranian-Americans across various media. An additional feature of the conference was the screening of Dr. Persis Karim’s digital strytelling project “Iranian American Voices of Silicon Valley.” Please click on the link below for the full conference program and participant bios.
The conference was accompanied by two cultural events which attracted a large group of enthusiastic audience members. On April 11, the world premiere of “Inja o Oonja: Stories of Iranian American Life” was staged at the Le Petit Trianon Theater. Written and directed by SJSU’s own Professor Matthew Spangler, this play was a dramatic adaptation of three short stories in “Tremors: New Fiction by Iranian American Writers” (ed. Persis Karim, Anita Amirrezvani) featuring a cast of 17 actors who beautifully portrayed the challenging circumstances but ultimately triumphant experiences of Iranian immigrants.
“Filmmaking in the Diaspora” held on April 12, featured a discussion with two local Iranian-American filmmakers Babak Sarrafan and Mohammad Gorjestani, and the screening of their films “Doosteh Hameshegy” (Forever Friends) and “Refuge”, respectively.
Spring 2014 was a tremendously active semester for the promotion of Persian culture in San Jose. In addition to the “Cultures of the Iranian Diaspora” conference, the Persian Studies Program organized a wonderful musical concert of classical and folk Persian music to celebrate Noruz as well as several lectures on various subjects such as Iranian art, literature and politics. Roshan Cultural Heritage Institute would like to congratulate San Jose State University for its efforts and looks forward to another year of exciting programming.