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A New Film Series Will Show Movies From Countries Affected by the Travel Ban

posted on: Mar 18, 2017

Taraneh Alidoosti, left, and Shahab Hosseini in “The Salesman,” directed by Asghar Farhadi. The film will be part of the series “The Seventh Art Stand.” Credit Cohen Media Group/Amazon Studios, via Associated Press

By CHRISTOPHER D. SHEA
THE NEW YORK TIMES

In a protest against Islamophobia, a new film series, to be shown across the country in May, is to feature movies from countries affected by President Trump’s latest travel ban, which has been blocked by the courts.

The series, “The Seventh Art Stand,” announced this week, will take place in community centers, museums and theaters. More than 30 venues in states such as Hawaii, Washington, New York, Texas and Indiana have confirmed their participation. They include the Arab American National Museum in Michigan, the Honolulu Museum of Art, the Northwest Film Forum in Seattle; and the Metrograph and Anthology Film Archives in New York. Discussions will also be held as part of the series.

The movies include “Fishing Without Nets,” from Somalia; “About Baghdad,” from Iraq; “Karama Has No Walls” and “The Mulberry House” from Yemen; and Asghar Farhadi’s “The Salesman.” Mr. Farhadi, one of Iran’s best-known filmmakers, took a public stand against President Trump’s travel ban from January when he announced that he would not attend the Academy Awards. The movie won the Oscar in February for best foreign-language film.

“We believe it is crucial to build a tradition of sharing more stories, voices and faces on our screens,” Richard Abramowitz and Courtney Sheehan, the series organizers, said in a statement. Mr. Abramowitz runs the boutique film distribution company Abramorama; Ms. Sheehan is the executive director of the Northwest Film Forum in Seattle.