How would you make a movie if you couldnยt see? Iranian director Mohammad Shirvani started a yearlong filmmaking workshop in 2004 for blind women in Tehran to find out. Out of 200 applicants, seven finished the course, and the result is the feature-length compilation Seven Blind Women Filmmakers. Shirvani laid down rules: They had to operate their own digital video cameras, the stories had to be autobiographical and everything was to be as real as can be, with no set design or lighting to beautify the scenes. The result is impressive. Yes, there are patches where the focus wanders or the camera frame is unsteady at best, but these imperfections only add to the vรฉritรฉ. 8 p.m. Rice Cinema, 6100 Main. For information, call 713-348-4853 or visit www.ricecinema.rice.edu. $5 to $6.
Sat., Feb. 7, 8 p.m., 2009
This article appears in Feb 5-11, 2009.
