DIFF FILMS

FOR THE YEAR 2010

AMIN

Winner of Muhr AsiaAfrica / Documentary /Special Mention :Shahin Parhami (Director)

Iran, Canada, South Korea / 2010 / Persian, Turkish, Russian dialogue with English subtitles / Colour and Black & White / DigiBeta / 120 mins

Genre: Documentary, Historical, War, Biography, Family

Cast & Credits

Director: Shahin Parhami
Producer: Shahin Parhami
Scriptwriter: Shahin Parhami
Cinematographer: Shahin Parhami
Editor: Shahin Parhami
Composer: Amin Aghaie

Synopsis

Amin is a postgraduate music student, researching for a doctoral degree at the Kiev Conservatory. As part of his study programme, he sets out to explore the increasingly elusive folk music of the ancient Qashqai tribes of southern Iran. This journey of discovery - a fascinating exploration into the heartlands of Iran and the uncovering of a once-vibrant cultural force now eroded into near-obsolescence - is absorbing enough. However director Shahin Parhami's beguiling film soon pulls back the film's focus to explore Amin's own life, his forlorn, threadbare existence forming a melancholy counterpoint to the haunting music he discovers in the empty pastoral landscapes and quiet back alleys of the district. The result is a powerful meditation on collective cultural loss as seen through the eyes of a man, as much on a quest to find himself, as the ancient music he so desperately seeks.

Contains: Suitable for all Ages (G)