During a season of intensifying relations between the United States and Iran, Sam Ali Kashani returned to his family’s homeland during the summer of 2007. Like the majority of Iranian-American families that ultimately settled in California, Sam’s family came to the United States after the Islamic Revolution in 1979. Sam, however, was thoroughly American, leading a lifestyle typical of any young Californian. Therefore, his perspective of Iran was much like most Americans, colored by skewed media portrayals and political constructions. Yet, the Tehran he observed upon his arrival was anything but what he had seen on the television: the bustling, modern city squares; the influence of Western culture on the adolescents and young professionals, and the vibrant calls for social reform. Tehran: Another Side is a tale of the dynamic city from the eyes of one Iranian-American, which strips the camera from political filtering and humanizes its people with sincerity and honesty.
