Joonam

Preview screening with director Sierra Urich in conversation with Farihah Zaman 

Dir. Sierra Urich. 2023, 100 mins. In Farsi and English with subtitles. Filmmaker Sierra Urich grew up in rural Vermont, a place and an upbringing far removed from Iran, the homeland of her mother, Mitra, and grandmother, Behjat. Only knowing Iran through family stories, food, and holidays, and with the prospect of travel to the country a seemingly impossible dream, she embarks on a personal quest to make sense of her fractured Iranian identity. Navigating barriers of language and culture (not to mention the complications of geopolitical conflict and displacement), Sierra turns to Mitra and Behjat to construct a moving, sometimes painful, often disarmingly funny portrait of three generations of women and their complex relationships to an Iran of the past. Named for a Farsi term of endearment, Joonam is a personal film that echoes common experiences of the Iranian diasporic community, and will speak to anyone affected by the dislocation of the immigration experience. 

Tickets: $15 / $11 senior and students / $9 youth (ages 3–17) / free for MoMI members at the Senior/Student level and above. Order tickets. Please pick up tickets at the Museum’s admissions desk upon arrival. All seating is general admission. Review safety protocols before your visit.