Salam Cinema

A remarkable small film from Iran. A director holds a casting call for 100 actors to appear in his next film. 5000 people show up, some desperate, some bewildered, and some self-absorbed. The director calls in each person, sometimes in large groups, and asks them all why they came. He then requests that they act, some he even demands to laugh or cry within 10 seconds because that's what actors can do, indeed must do. Alternately cruel and cajoling he is relentless in his pursuit of the truth of acting. 'Can they act' enfolds within it, 'why act'?

Anyone interested in the process of filmmaking, of acting, in documentaries, and in a open-faced discussion of what art is and what artistic responsibility is will find much to laugh, cry, and think about in this film. The consequences of the director's questions and the veracity of the answers will surprise you. Somewhere amongst playing God, the director discovers a genuine democracy.