All films are available to view for 48 hours from their start date/time.

PERSIAN LESSONS

German, French, Persian with English subtitles, 127 min.

Directed by: Vadim Perelman (Russia, Germany, Belarus 2020)

Occupied France, 1942. Gilles is arrested by SS soldiers alongside other Jews and sent to a camp in Germany. He narrowly avoids sudden execution by swearing to the guards that he is not Jewish, but Persian.

This lie temporarily saves him, but Gilles gets assigned a life-or-death mission: to teach Farsi to Head of Camp Koch, who dreams of opening a restaurant in Iran once the war is over.

Through an ingenious trick, Gilles manages to survive by inventing words of “Farsi” every day and teaching them to Koch. The particular relationship between the two men sparks the jealousy of other prisoners and SS guards towards Gilles. And while the suspicions of Koch grow every day, Gilles understands that he will not be able to keep his secret very long…

Starring: Nahuel Perez Biscayart, Lars Eidinger

• Best Film Award at Beijing International Film Festival
• Best Editing Valladolid International Film Festival

In collaboration with The Cummings Centre for Seniors and The Azrieli Institute of Israeli Studies.