At 6.30pm on Sunday, 12 March, Theatr Mwldan Film Society will screen No Bears, the outstanding new film from acclaimed Iranian auteur Jafar Panahi.

In the film Panahi plays himself, a filmmaker trying to direct a cast and crew in Turkey, who is forced to remain in an Iranian village close to the border.

As his actors perform their own story of attempted escape to Europe, Panahi finds himself coming up against suspicion and local traditions in the village where he is staying.

No Bears is more than just a film. Not long after it was completed, Panahi was sentenced in Iran to six years in prison.

In the months since, mass protests challenging the authority of the Islamic Republic have swept across the country and have been answered with brutal repression.

Panahi’s latest film is a testimony to how artistry and protest can find inspiration in the very restrictions that he and other creative voices face.

No Bears is a winner of the Special Jury Prize at Venice and the Award for Cinematic Bravery at the Chicago International Film Festival.