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REBEL FLESH presents films made by women filmmakers that examine the impact of revolutionary upheavals on families and the relationships that are shaped—and often shattered—by the brutal demands of ideological regimes. Focused on experiences in Iran or in the Iranian diaspora, these works reveal the impossibility of selfhood within systems that demand absolute obedience, highlighting how defining oneself becomes an act of revolt. In this context, the simplest acts of self-expression become revolutionary. These films capture the fleeting moments of freedom where individuals assert their identities, fight for their memories, and strive to memorialize themselves in ways that reflect their true selves, not the versions dictated by authoritarian forces. The program also considers the paradoxical relationship between religious authority and bodily control. It explores how regimes that define themselves through the regulation of bodies inadvertently provoke resistance through the very expressions they seek to suppress. Through intimate stories and diverse cinematic expressions, these films offer a powerful exploration of sovereignty, rebellion, and the enduring struggle to reclaim one's body as a site of personal and political autonomy.
REBEL FLESH is curated by Homa Sarabi and is co-presented by ArteEast and UnionDocs. This program is part of the legacy program Unpacking the ArteArchive, which preserves and presents 20 years of film and video programming by ArteEast. Selections from REBEL FLESH will be screened in-person at UnionDocs on February 19 followed by a discussion with Yasman Baghban and Nazanin Norouzi moderated by the curator. For more information about the in-person screening uniondocs.org. The full program will be screened online on artearchive.org from February 14 - 23, 2025.
This Bitter Earth is an experimental stop-motion film centered around found footage and archival images from viral news stories juxtaposed with hand painted Super 8 family movie frames. The film encompasses four main image series reconsidered and revisited in multiple: the 2020 downing of Ukraine International Airlines Flight 752 by the Iranian government; the devastating explosion at the Port of Beirut, Lebanon in 2020; the last U.S. airplane leaving Afghanistan in 2021 after the military’s withdrawal; and home footage of a childhood birthday party in Iran. Imagery from Super 8 home videos serves as a foil to the political permutations of instability and insecurity. Punctuating the historical horrors around them, the birthday party Noroozi depicts in print and paper pulp becomes tinged with tension, as though the celebrants are anticipating a disruption to their joy. By blurring and distorting the home videos and news footage alike, Noroozi removes the individuality of her subjects to allow viewers to insert themselves and their own stories into the found images. She universalizes otherwise personal feelings of uncertainty, anxiety, and despondence: a sense of sadness at the loss of life, despair at betrayal of principle, and the helplessness of losing control of one’s destiny ripple out globally
About the Filmmaker:
Nazanin Noroozi is a multi-disciplinary artist working with moving images, printmaking, and alternative photography processes to grapple with personal archive, collective history, and displacement. Noroozi’s work has been widely exhibited at galleries and museums across the world including Baxter Camera Club NYC; SPACES, Cleveland, OH; NY Live Arts; Athopos, Athens, Greece; Immigrant Artist Biennial; Noyes Museum of Art, NJ; School of Visual Arts Chelsea Gallery; and Golestani Gallery, Düsseldorf, Germany. Her works are in public collections such as New York Public Library, Harvard Art Museum, Arizona State University, and Alfred University. She is the recipient of awards and fellowships from New York Foundation for the Arts in Film and Video, Marabeth Cohen-Tyler Print/Paper Fellowship at Dieu Donné, Artistic Freedom Initiative, Elizabeth Foundation for the Arts, and Mass MoCA residency. Her works have been featured in various publications and media including, British Journal of Photography, Die Zeit Magazine, Brooklyn Rail, Elephant Magazine, and Financial Times. She is the editor-at-large of Meta-Text, Kaarnama Journal of Art History and Criticism’s artist projects. Noroozi moved to New York City in 2012 and received her MFA in 2015 from Pratt Institute, Brooklyn. She lives and works in the city.
- Year2023
- Runtime6 minutes
- CountryUnited States
- DirectorNazanin Noroozi
- AnimatorNazanin Noroozi
REBEL FLESH presents films made by women filmmakers that examine the impact of revolutionary upheavals on families and the relationships that are shaped—and often shattered—by the brutal demands of ideological regimes. Focused on experiences in Iran or in the Iranian diaspora, these works reveal the impossibility of selfhood within systems that demand absolute obedience, highlighting how defining oneself becomes an act of revolt. In this context, the simplest acts of self-expression become revolutionary. These films capture the fleeting moments of freedom where individuals assert their identities, fight for their memories, and strive to memorialize themselves in ways that reflect their true selves, not the versions dictated by authoritarian forces. The program also considers the paradoxical relationship between religious authority and bodily control. It explores how regimes that define themselves through the regulation of bodies inadvertently provoke resistance through the very expressions they seek to suppress. Through intimate stories and diverse cinematic expressions, these films offer a powerful exploration of sovereignty, rebellion, and the enduring struggle to reclaim one's body as a site of personal and political autonomy.
REBEL FLESH is curated by Homa Sarabi and is co-presented by ArteEast and UnionDocs. This program is part of the legacy program Unpacking the ArteArchive, which preserves and presents 20 years of film and video programming by ArteEast. Selections from REBEL FLESH will be screened in-person at UnionDocs on February 19 followed by a discussion with Yasman Baghban and Nazanin Norouzi moderated by the curator. For more information about the in-person screening uniondocs.org. The full program will be screened online on artearchive.org from February 14 - 23, 2025.
This Bitter Earth is an experimental stop-motion film centered around found footage and archival images from viral news stories juxtaposed with hand painted Super 8 family movie frames. The film encompasses four main image series reconsidered and revisited in multiple: the 2020 downing of Ukraine International Airlines Flight 752 by the Iranian government; the devastating explosion at the Port of Beirut, Lebanon in 2020; the last U.S. airplane leaving Afghanistan in 2021 after the military’s withdrawal; and home footage of a childhood birthday party in Iran. Imagery from Super 8 home videos serves as a foil to the political permutations of instability and insecurity. Punctuating the historical horrors around them, the birthday party Noroozi depicts in print and paper pulp becomes tinged with tension, as though the celebrants are anticipating a disruption to their joy. By blurring and distorting the home videos and news footage alike, Noroozi removes the individuality of her subjects to allow viewers to insert themselves and their own stories into the found images. She universalizes otherwise personal feelings of uncertainty, anxiety, and despondence: a sense of sadness at the loss of life, despair at betrayal of principle, and the helplessness of losing control of one’s destiny ripple out globally
About the Filmmaker:
Nazanin Noroozi is a multi-disciplinary artist working with moving images, printmaking, and alternative photography processes to grapple with personal archive, collective history, and displacement. Noroozi’s work has been widely exhibited at galleries and museums across the world including Baxter Camera Club NYC; SPACES, Cleveland, OH; NY Live Arts; Athopos, Athens, Greece; Immigrant Artist Biennial; Noyes Museum of Art, NJ; School of Visual Arts Chelsea Gallery; and Golestani Gallery, Düsseldorf, Germany. Her works are in public collections such as New York Public Library, Harvard Art Museum, Arizona State University, and Alfred University. She is the recipient of awards and fellowships from New York Foundation for the Arts in Film and Video, Marabeth Cohen-Tyler Print/Paper Fellowship at Dieu Donné, Artistic Freedom Initiative, Elizabeth Foundation for the Arts, and Mass MoCA residency. Her works have been featured in various publications and media including, British Journal of Photography, Die Zeit Magazine, Brooklyn Rail, Elephant Magazine, and Financial Times. She is the editor-at-large of Meta-Text, Kaarnama Journal of Art History and Criticism’s artist projects. Noroozi moved to New York City in 2012 and received her MFA in 2015 from Pratt Institute, Brooklyn. She lives and works in the city.
- Year2023
- Runtime6 minutes
- CountryUnited States
- DirectorNazanin Noroozi
- AnimatorNazanin Noroozi