How ‘Rosewater’ became Jon Stewart’s directorial debut

Jon Stewart and Maziar Bahari sat down with senior correspondent Jeffrey Brown to discuss their new film, “Rosewater,” and how it all came about.

Having delivered pointed political barbs and satire about the media and much more since 1999, Jon Stewart took somewhat of a creative detour two summers ago. The movie “Rosewater” marks the screenwriting and directorial debut of “The Daily Show” host and executive producer, and brings to the screen the story of Stewart’s friend, journalist Maziar Bahari.

The film — debuting tonight nationwide — depicts Tehran-born Canadian citizen Bahari’s return to Iran in 2009 to interview Mir-Hossein Mousavi, the chief challenger to incumbent president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Bahari, who works mostly for the BBC now, was primarily writing for Newsweek at the time he returned to Iran, where he was accused of spying and held captive.

Tune in to tonight’s broadcast of the PBS NewsHour to watch Jeffrey’s conversation with Jon Stewart and Maziar Bahari. You can watch on our Ustream Channel at 6 p.m. EST or check your local listings.