'Radio Dreams' at the MFA

Western music has long been denounced in post-revolution Iran, perhaps none as much as heavy metal for its perceived ties to Satanism. But that hasn’t stopped Persian Magnetic, an underground society for Metallica fans and the inspiration behind Iranian writer/director Babak Jalali’s award-winning film Radio Dreams. It follows Hamid, an Iranian writer-turned-manager of California’s first Persian-language radio station, who is unrelenting in his attempts to unite Afghanistan’s first rock band, Kabul Dreams, with Metallica for an on-air jam sesh. The storyline may be fictionalized, but audiences can expect appearances from Kabul Dreams members, as well as Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich. Tune in when Radio Dreams screens at the Museum of Fine Arts on Jan. 19 and 22 as part of the Boston Festival of Films from Iran, which runs through Jan. 29.