Persian cats may be the next cool thing, but don't be misled: We're not talking about the feline kind.

Until recently the works of Iranian/Kurdish filmmaker Bahman Ghobadi ("Turtles Can Fly" "A Time For Drunken Horses") had been about the repercussions of Middle Eastern unrest and the deep clawmarks of damage inflicted upon women and children. But his latest, "No One Knows About Persian Cats," addresses a whole different set of problems and opens a tiny window of hope.

The film is about a Tehran-based rock duo who dream of going to London — but in a nation where "blasphemy, free speech and rock music" are banned along with a laundry list of other issues (the title is a reference to a law prohibiting pets from being seen in public), the possibilities of getting together the cash to procure a visa and passport, let alone holding a concert in order to do so, are close to total zilch. Remember the proverb about getting a camel through the eye of a needle? There should be a footnote that includes something about Iranian rock musicians getting to perform — in their own country or anywhere else.