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Pepperdine Screens The Stoning of Soraya M. with Cast and Crew

The Center for Entertainment, Media, and Culture at Pepperdine University is hosting a screening of The Stoning of Soraya M., a drama about human rights abuses in Iran, set to hit theatres in late 2009. The screening will take place at 7 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 9 in Elkins Auditorium on the Malibu campus, and will be followed by a panel discussion with directors Betsy and Cyrus Nowrasteh, producers Steve McEveety and John Shepherd, and the stars of the film, Mozhan Marno and Navid Negahban.  

"We’re honored to have such accomplished professionals interact with our burgeoning film studies students," says Craig Detweiler, director of the Center for Entertainment, Media, and Culture at Pepperdine. "The Stoning of Soraya M. hits audiences with a force equal to this essential matter of life and death. You will leave shaken, inspired, and eager to make a difference."

The Stoning of Soraya M. is a 2008 American drama film adapted from the 1994 international bestseller book of the same name by French-Iranian journalist Freidoune Sahebjam. It is based on a true story of an Iranian woman falsely accused of adultery and savagely stoned to death.

The film tells the story of Sahebjam, who is approached by a woman with a harrowing tale of the stoning of her niece, Soraya. Her last and only hope for justice lies in the hands of the journalist who must escape with the story—and his life—in order to communicate the violence to the world.

Stoning had its world premiere at the 2008 Toronto International Film Festival, where it was the runner-up for the Audience Choice Award, behind Slumdog Millionaire. It was also the second runner-up for the Cadillac People's Choice Award.

"With the tumultuous situation in Iran continuing to capture headlines, we are thrilled to present this powerful and timely film," Detweiler says. "This shockingly true story shines a spotlight on the basic human rights often denied to women that demand attention and reform."

After the screening, attendees will have the opportunity to listen to a discussion about the film with the producers, director, and actors, and ask questions. Director Nowrasteh is an American screenwriter and director best known for his involvement in the controversial docudrama, The Path to 9/11. Producer McEveety has produced many of Mel Gibson’s films including Braveheart, which won five Academy Awards, and The Passion of the Christ.

The Pepperdine event will also highlight the Center for Assault Treatment Services (CATS) at Northridge Hospital Medical Center. CATS is the only 24-hour/7-day-per-week immediate response program in the San Fernando, Santa Clarita Valleys and surrounding cities providing care to adult and child victims of sexual assault and abuse. CATS' vision is of "a world in which every child and adult is free of abuse, neglect and exploitation and able to achieve his or her full potential for a healthy, responsible and productive life."

"We also want to make sure that we continue to address our own domestic problems of
abuse," Detweiler explains.

The event is free and open to the public. For more information about the film, visit www.thestoning.com. Learn more about the Center for Assault Treatment Services at www.abuse-assaultservices.org.