This screening will be followed by a live in person Q&A with Iranian director TAGHI AMIRANI
In this documentary-meets-detective-story, there is a reckoning with one of the most striking foreign interventions. In 1953, a military coup led by British MI6 and backed by the CIA overthrew Iran's democratically elected prime minister, Mohammad Mossadegh. His crime: nationalizing the country's oil. The truth behind that original regime change for oil was buried for decades.
Iranian director Taghi Amirani - physics graduate of Nottingham University - spent 10 years uncovering what really happened. With the handiwork of Oscar-winning editor Walter Murch (Apocalypse Now, The Conversation, The English Patient) and a gripping performance by Ralph Fiennes, the film unfolds like a John le Carré spy thriller, except every word is true.
Coup 53 feels less like history and more like a warning: it exposes the roots of today's war with rare clarity and urgency.
"It is without question one of the greatest of all documentaries. Apart from its importance as a revelatory history lesson, it's a masterpiece of humanity, thoroughness and consummate film craft." Mike Leigh - Winner of the Palme d'Or
"This powerful and authoritative documentary by the Iranian filmmaker Taghi Amirani is as gripping as any thriller." The Guardian
"One of the best documentaries of recent years." Michael Moore
"Ralph Fiennes appears, lending a wry le Carré air to proceedings as an enigmatic MI6 agent with an explosive testimony." The Times
"A labour of love, the film is premium detective work. With admirable tenacity and care, Amirani has dragged official secrets back into the light."The Daily Telegraph
