MUSALSAL ... Documentaries from the Middle East
... Since September 2007 we screen authentic images of the MENA region in our monthly documentary serial MUSALSAL and invite experts to debate the topic with the audience. A cooperation with Cinémathèque Leipzig.
next film is:
Sounds of Silence / Sot-e Sokout
Directors: Amir Hamz & Mark Lazarz
Documentary, UK/D/Iran 2006, 86 min, Original with english subtitles
Date: 18th September 2008
Time: 7.30 pm
Venue: naTo, Karl-Liebknecht-Str. 46, 04275 Leipzig
Tickets: 4 Euro
Hidden beneath the alarming headlines from a totalitarian regime lies a bustling culture desperate for recognition - at home as well as in the eyes of the wider world.
This documentary offers a view inside Tehran and its burgeoning pop music scene through the eyes of young musicians and their followers. It salutes their ongoing struggle with the Iranian government's Ministry Of Islamic Guidance, Ershad, which meticulously scrutinizes and sometimes censors all forms of art.
The musicians have only one objective: to make music. They are using the internet to distribute and perform their art form with or without permission from Ershad. Despite the harassment and harsh religious censorship of Ershad, many bands have a deep respect for their cultural heritage, and that is reflected in their music.
The film follows the problems of many young musicians who are drawing inspiration from a rich literary tradition. The alternative rock band O-Hum for example, is influenced by 14th century Persian poet Hafez. Molana, from the 13th century, finds reinterpretation in Atma with an intriguing fusion of Electronica and Rock. Twenty year old rapper Sorush even quotes directly from the Koran.
SOUNDS OF SILENCE shows the delicate balance in these young musicians' lives, between their musical endeavours and the rocky path that is in store for them as progress and conservative traditionalism clash in modern Tehran.
Subsequently the director Amir Hamz will be present for a Q&A session.
Documentary, UK/D/Iran 2006, 86 min, Original with english subtitles
Date: 18th September 2008
Time: 7.30 pm
Venue: naTo, Karl-Liebknecht-Str. 46, 04275 Leipzig
Tickets: 4 Euro
Hidden beneath the alarming headlines from a totalitarian regime lies a bustling culture desperate for recognition - at home as well as in the eyes of the wider world.
This documentary offers a view inside Tehran and its burgeoning pop music scene through the eyes of young musicians and their followers. It salutes their ongoing struggle with the Iranian government's Ministry Of Islamic Guidance, Ershad, which meticulously scrutinizes and sometimes censors all forms of art.
The musicians have only one objective: to make music. They are using the internet to distribute and perform their art form with or without permission from Ershad. Despite the harassment and harsh religious censorship of Ershad, many bands have a deep respect for their cultural heritage, and that is reflected in their music.
The film follows the problems of many young musicians who are drawing inspiration from a rich literary tradition. The alternative rock band O-Hum for example, is influenced by 14th century Persian poet Hafez. Molana, from the 13th century, finds reinterpretation in Atma with an intriguing fusion of Electronica and Rock. Twenty year old rapper Sorush even quotes directly from the Koran.
SOUNDS OF SILENCE shows the delicate balance in these young musicians' lives, between their musical endeavours and the rocky path that is in store for them as progress and conservative traditionalism clash in modern Tehran.
Subsequently the director Amir Hamz will be present for a Q&A session.
