Shirin Neshat's Land of Dreams: Screening and Conversation

Award-winning artist and filmmaker Shirin Neshat returns to Asia Society for the screening of Land of Dreams. Described by the filmmaker as one of her most personal works so far (Variety Magazine), the film follows Simin, an Iranian immigrant who works for the United States Census Bureau, on a journey to record citizens’ dreams. The film was directed by Shirin Neshat and Shoja Azari, and stars Sheila Vand, Matt Dillon, William Moseley, Isabella Rossellini, and Anna Gunn, among many others.

Join after the screening for a discussion with Neshat and Yasufumi Nakamori, Director of Asia Society Museum and Vice President of Arts and Culture, Asia Society. This event is part of Asia Society’s programming for Asia Week 2024.

Synopsis:
Simin is an Iranian woman on a journey to discover what it means to be a free American. She works for the Census Bureau which, in an effort to control its citizens, has begun a program to record their dreams. Unaware of this devious plot, Simin is torn between her compassion for those whose dreams she is recording and a truth she must find within.

Haunted by the fact that her father was executed by the Islamic regime in Iran, Simin has developed a coping mechanism through a world of fantasy and playacting. She captures her interviewees’ dreams, secretly impersonates them in Farsi and publishes them on social media where she finds a growing Iranian audience.

Soon Simin meets Mark; a drifter, a free soul, and a poet who declares his love for her at first sight; and Alan, a cynical cowboy turned detective, full of machismo and the American spirit of adventure. As Simin enters the triad, she finds the two men’s competition and conflicts amusing and silently enjoys the ride.

Playful and poignant, Land of Dreams acknowledges in a surreal and satirical way, the greatness of the American experiment while offering a warning beacon for what could come.

Premiere: Venice Film Festival (Horizons), 2021
Cast: Sheila Vand, Matt Dilllon, William Moseley, Isabella Rossellini
Directors: Shirin Neshat, Shoja Azari
Producers: Amir Hamz, Sol Tryon, Christian Springer
Screenwriters: Jean-Claude Carrière, Shoja Azari