The King of South Shields

Director: Tina Gharavi

Year: 2011

When you change where you are do you change who you are? Set in modern day Tehran, and the UK, I Am Nasrine follows the paths of Nasrine and Ali, sister and brother in a comfortable, middle class Iranian home. When Nasrine has a run-in with the police, the punishment is more than she bargained for. Nasrine and Ali set out for the UK, torn about leaving behind their home and all that they know, embarking on a reluctant exile. Still, for Nasrine, there is undeniable excitement about the prospect of starting a new life in the West.<br /> <br /> Nasrine is quick to settle into her new life, making friends, forming bonds, including Nichole from the gypsy/travelers community. All the while her brother Ali struggles with the realities of life in the UK and his awakening sexuality. Then comes 9/11. Things spiral further out of control when an unimaginable tragedy occurs. Nasrine must discover incredible courage within her to accept what fate has dealt her; discovering that the end of her journey is really just the beginning.<br /> <br /> Can hope, simple untainted hope, overcome the darkest of tragedies? I Am Nasrine explores these questions and more, and offers answers that are sure to surprise.

Director: Tina Gharavi

Year: 2004

Mother/Country is a stunningly filmed, intimate experimental documentary. The film charts the director's return journey back to her Mother's house 20 years after the Iranian Revolution. Through the development of fiction with actors, the filmmaker attempts to unravel the events of the past and to find resolution.

Director: Tina Gharavi

Year: 2001

An experimental documentary which has at its heart a poignant character study of a 17 year-old lesbian living in Newcastle, England, Closer innovatively explores the process of documentary filmmaking and boldly challenges traditional forms of storytelling.<br /> <br /> Produced without a script and in close collaboration with the subject, Annelise Rodger, the filmmaker presents a hypnotizing array of montages and fictive sequences to introduce the day-to-day happenings of this extraordinary person. From the streets of Newcastle - where we find Annelise speaking frankly to the camera about her experiences as a young lesbian - to the emotionally charged reenactment of hercoming out to her mother, this highly original film provides a rare auto-portrait wherefiction and documentary collide. In the end what emerges is not only a remarkable encounter with a young woman, but also a story that has broader implications about being young, being at the cusp of adulthood, and finding one's identity.