In this episode, Leyla sits down with acclaimed filmmaker Jasmin Mozaffari to discuss her short film Motherland, a poignant exploration of cultural identity, family trauma, and resilience. Jasmin reflects on her upbringing as a neem-rooni (half-Iranian, half-Canadian) in post-9/11 North America, the generational trauma of Iranian immigrants, and how her father’s story during the Iran Hostage Crisis shaped her art. Together, they delve into themes of assimilation, cultural pride, and rediscovering one’s roots.

Jasmin also shares behind-the-scenes insights into Motherland—a film set in 1979 about an Iranian immigrant navigating love and hostility in America—and how the Woman, Life, Freedom movement has deepened her connection with the Iranian diaspora. Plus, learn about her exciting new projects and how she’s using storytelling to bridge generations and cultures.

• Watch Motherland on Vimeo (available until mid-January)
• Follow Motherland on Instagram for updates
• Connect with Jasmin on Instagram: @jasminmozaffari
• Visit Jasmin's website: jasminmozaffari.com

In this lesson, we introduce the poem ān kas ké bedānad va bedānad ké bedānad by Ibn Yamin and discuss it with Alan Eyre.

In this discussion on Hafez's barafshān, we go over the last two lines of the poem.

In this discussion on Hafez's barafshān, we go over the fifth and sixth line of the poem.

In this discussion on Hafez's barafshān, we go over the third and fourth line of the poem.

Kaveh Akbar is the Iranian-American author of the critically acclaimed and heavily lauded novel Martyr! In our long-awaited conversation we dive deep into the themes of his powerful book, Martyr, which explores the human cost of so-called “collateral damage” and the real-world trauma often reduced to mere statistics in Western media. I had so much I wanted to ask Kaveh about the deeply personal and timely relevance of his work, especially in light of ongoing global events. 

Check out the full episode, and let me know what you think!

Related Links:

Kaveh's webpage
Kaveh on Instagram

In this second part of the discussion for Hafez's barafshān, we go over the first two lines of the poem in detail.

In this introductory lesson on Hafez's poem barafshān, we're joined by musician Fared Shafinury to go over the overall meaning of the poem. You can hear Fared's version of this poem in this track from his debut album.

In this lesson, we watch a clip of a heated conversation between Nader and Simin, the title characters of the movie. This is a fast paced conversation, and gives us a glimpse at a type of conversation we may not often be privy to in the Persian language. This is the final episode in our series on clips from the movie A Separation by Asghar Farahadi with guest Yara Elmjouie.

In this follow up episode about Khayyam's poem rendee deedam, we go over the poem word by word, line by line, to understand each part individually. We'll also learn how to use the particular words and phrases in current conversation.

In this lesson about clips from the movie A Separation by Asghar Farahadi, we watch a conversation between Nader and Hojjat, Razieh's husband, about potential work Hojjat will be doing for Nader. We're joined in this episode by friend of the show, Yara Elmjouie.