Guests of Hotel Astoria

This film by an emigré director about emigrés, especially those from Iran, forcefully captures the feeling and frustration of exile, giving renewed vital meaning to the word "refugee". Helmer, sentenced to life imprisonment under the Shah, was freed after six years by the Islamic Revolution. He made five documentaries, several of which were banned. His films displeased and he was forced to flee, on foot, across the mountains to Turkey.

The Astoria is not really a hotel, but a small guest house in Istanbul where a dozen or so Iranian refugees huddle, nurse coffees in the tiny bar, hoard secreta, spread rumors and get rid of their money, jewels and other belongings. Everything can be bought in Istanbul : passports, visas, police protection - the thing is to get out before the money runs out. (W all. in Variety, 21-6-89)