San Diego International Jewish Film Festival

Persian Lessons (Virtual)

Expired February 21, 2022 7:55 AM
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The latest film from director Vadim Perelman (“House of Sand and Fog”) follows Gilles, a Nazi concentration camp inmate who avoids execution by swearing he is Persian, rather than Jewish. When he is instructed to teach Farsi to the camp commandant, who dreams of opening a restaurant in Iran after the war, Gilles comes up with an ingenious ploy. “It floored me in the devastating final moments, unexpectedly acquiring great depth and seriousness of purpose,” writes Cath Clarke of The Guardian. Contains Holocaust material.


Drama, Based on a true story, Holocaust


Transatlantyk Festival: Lodz (2020) Transatlantyk Golden Ark, Winner, Best Film.


  • Year
    2020
  • Runtime
    127 minutes
  • Language
    German, French, Persian, English, Italian
  • Country
    Russian Federation, Germany, Belarus
  • Premiere
    Southern California
  • Note
    English Subtitles
  • Director
    Vadim Perelman
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