NYU’s Daily Student Newspaper
WASHINGTON SQUARE NEWS Vol. 43, No. 35
TUESDAY, APRIL 7, 2015
nyunews.com UNIVERSITY AFFAIRS
Students protest law school response By MARK SOLOGUREN Contributing Writer
MEGAN CHUNG FOR WSN
The new Union Square restaurant Darrow’s uses ingedients from the Green Market for an organic take on some tasty classics.
STORY ON PAGE 5
NYU LAW continued on PG. 3
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INSIDE THIS ISSUE
STAFF ILLUSTRATION BY JORDAN MELENDREZ
The Coalition on Law & Representation at NYU has recently revealed that students who have expressed support for the Statement of No Confidence in former legal adviser of the State Department Harold Hongju Koh may have been subject to intimidation by faculty, both within and outside NYU. The Statement of No Confidence was organized by over 190 NYU Law students, faculty and alumni, as well as students of other NYU schools and various members of the community and opposes Koh’s presence at NYU Law. The statement criticizes his role as a professor of international human rights law and distinguished scholar-in-residence for the current academic year. Also noted was Koh’s significant role as the legal architect
Heather Lind talks ‘Turn’ The NYU alumna discusses her role on the new AMC series ‘Turn: Washington’s Spies.’ STORY on PG. 4
Food blogs to whet your appetite Want some new recipies? Need to pick a place for dinner? Check out these fun, tasty food blogs. STORY on PG. 5
Opinion: Yelp can protect consumers Editor Tess Woosley discusses the usefulness of Yelp for informing diners of health risks. STORY on PG. 7
REVIEW
Biopic does not live up to subject By IFE OLUJOBI Senior Editor
Recent international events, including those involving Charlie Hebdo, Pussy Riot and the North Korean threats against Sony, have shown that the basic human right to freedom of expression is under attack. “Desert Dancer,” a new film directed by Richard Raymond, adds another story to the pattern of oppression from Iran — a country with a deep history of censorship. The movie follows Afshin Ghaffarian, an Iranian dancer who risked his life to form an underground dance troupe and put on a performance in the desert, despite surveillance, threats and abuse from the Iranian government. The story
begins when Afshin, played by Reece Ritchie, enters the University of Tehran during the 2009 presidential elections. After gaining illegal Internet access, Afshin searches for dance videos and tutorials, showing them to his new friends, including Tom Cullen of “Downtown Abbey” as Ardavan, who agree to secretly practice dance together. Their law breaking seems mostly harmless until the mysterious Elaheh (Freida Pinto) follows the group to their hideout and auditions for the troupe. They are reluctant to let this stranger in, but her talent and helpfulness earns the group’s trust. At the same time, the elections lead to protests and government crackdowns on illegal
activities, including artistic expression. Afshin and his friends plan a performance in the desert, but their defiance puts government officials on Afshin’s tail, and he must escape Iran before he is killed. Matters are further complicated by Elaheh’s heavy drug use. The real-life Ghaffarian is a hero whose story deserves to be told, but one wishes it was in a film more dynamic than this one. Much of the acting feels stiff and flat, too focused on maintaining a respectful Iranian accent than being emotive in a scene. The only actor who evokes nuanced emotion is Pinto, but even she is limited by the simplistic writing and weak
DESERT continued on PG. 4