New Film on Iran a Box Office Draw

Buddy Hatton’s new Iran travel film in high definition is wowing the circuit, proving again that a professional film touching on a rarely seen—and exotic—land will always win big at the box office.—Ed.

By Larry Won -Film Editor

We’ve been showing our new film, Iran — Then and Now, for a couple of months to rave reviews. We’ve also enjoyed an extraordinary walk-up business, occasionally delaying the curtain.

At every show our audiences include Iranians and people who have worked in or visited there prior to the overthrow of the Shah.

It has been rewarding to answer audience members’ questions and to clarify some of their pre-conceived ideas about the country.

For instance, frequent questions touched on religion. We were told in Iran that all religions work side by side with no problems. In fact, we spent Christmas Eve at a Catholic Church complete with singing Silent Night and Joy to the World.

Second-most asked question is about women’s rights.  Despite having to wear a head-cover, they do have the right to vote and work in government. And 70 percent of college science and engineering instructors are women.

We plan to re-edit the film for other venues outside our circuit. This version will have more of a political edge.

Buddy also has been promoting and signing audience members for his new tour of Iran, including a couple from both Cincinnati Travel Clubs.

The Techy Stuff

Much of our HD shooting in Iran was with the small inexpensive Sony HDR SR11 (60 gig hardrive). We didn’t want to look too professional on some of our shots.

We also used our more pricey Sony HDR FX 1 camera on occasion and couldn’t tell the difference in quality between the two Sony HDs. I used  Final Cut Pro  for editing. We also use an Apple  laptop to show our auditorium footage.