American Ball Player in Iran Unmasks 'Real' Iranian Life
With the newest round of Iran nuclear talks upon us, looming sanctions and the third anniversary of Iran's faltered prelude to the Arab Spring, it's easy to forget that Iran is a place where people live, work, flirt — and play basketball. A multi-dimensional new documentary premiering Friday, "The Iran Job" follows an American ball player in Iran.
With the newest round of Iran nuclear talks scheduled for next week and crippling sanctions planned for July, it is easy to forget that Iran is a place where people live, work, flirt and — gasp! — play basketball.
A new documentary, The Iran Job, which premieres at the Los Angeles Film Festival Friday, follows Kevin Sheppard, an American basketball player who plays for A.S. Shiraz in Iran. Captain of the team, he’s charged with taking an abysmal team to the playoffs — a daunting task if he were Iranian, but even more daunting as he navigates his way through a society that is very different than his own.
Sheppard’s got jokes all along the way as he makes up slang, drinks non-alcoholic beer, and interacts with locals who, unaccustomed to seeing black men in the bazaar, love to declare, “I love black people!”
