Muftah Magazine

Muftah Magazine

Share this post

Muftah Magazine
Muftah Magazine
The Film “When God Sleeps” Chooses Stereotypes About Iran Over Good Storytelling
Copy link
Facebook
Email
Notes
More

The Film “When God Sleeps” Chooses Stereotypes About Iran Over Good Storytelling

Simplistic, sloppy, and deliberately misleading, a documentary on Iranian musician Shahin Najafi falsely suggests Iranian government involvement in eliminating critics of the Islamic Republic.

Jun 01, 2017
∙ Paid

Share this post

Muftah Magazine
Muftah Magazine
The Film “When God Sleeps” Chooses Stereotypes About Iran Over Good Storytelling
Copy link
Facebook
Email
Notes
More
Share

by Maryam Jamshidi

Iranian musician, Shahin Najafi, has been called the “Salman Rushdie of music.” In the new documentary, “When God Sleeps,” which premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival in New York City on April 20, 2017, that parallel is put to the test. It largely falls short – as do other simplified, superficial tropes the film deploys about the Isla…

Keep reading with a 7-day free trial

Subscribe to Muftah Magazine to keep reading this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives.

Already a paid subscriber? Sign in
© 2025 Muftah Magazine
Privacy ∙ Terms ∙ Collection notice
Start writingGet the app
Substack is the home for great culture

Share

Copy link
Facebook
Email
Notes
More