Resident Exile
This short film, made with my friends and filmmaking partners, Michel Negroponte and Alex Anthony, was commissioned by PBS's innovative TV Lab in 1980. The three of us saw Kazem Ala, an Iranian student and political exile, briefly interviewed on a local cable access show in Austin, Texas and were very moved by his story. We spent a month filming his day to day life in Houston, during the Iranian-American hostage crisis of 1980. The film was meant to describe in subtle ways what it is to be a political exile in times of political crisis. PBS found it to be a little too subtle, and declined to air it nationally, but the film was televised on various individual PBS outlets, and seeing it recently, I was struck by how, a generation later, we're still dealing with this same situation - the clash between Islam and the West. The Presidents and Ayatollahs may have changed, but politically, things are still at crisis level. - Ross McElwee
TMDB
8.0/10
1 votes
- Status
- Released
- Budget
- —
- Box office
- —
- Language
- English
Release dates
United StatesUS
- Theatrical11 Mar 1981
Frequently asked questions
- When was Resident Exile released?
- Resident Exile was released on 11 March 1981.
- Where can I watch Resident Exile online?
- No verified streaming availability is listed for Resident Exile right now. Check back soon.
- Is there a Hindi trailer for Resident Exile?
- No verified Hindi trailer for Resident Exile is available yet. Only the original-language trailer is listed.
- What is the rating of Resident Exile?
- Resident Exile holds a 8.0/10 audience score from 1 votes.
- Who directed Resident Exile?
- Resident Exile (1981) was directed by Alexandra Anthony.
- How long is Resident Exile?
- Resident Exile runs for 28m.











