Documentary Educational Resources - Geography / Middle East / Iran / All Films

Islam: Empire of Faith

Wed, 29 Aug 2018 12:45:00 GMT

Islam: Empire of Faith
Buy Now: $340.00

From the birth of the prophet Muhammad to the glories of the Ottomans, this groundbreaking work illuminates the first thousand years of a misunderstood civilization. Historical renactments; a remarkable explication of Islamic art; and interviews with scholars recount the rise of the islamic civilization and it's profound impact on Western Culture and world history.

The Making of Islam: Empire of Faith by Robert H. Gardner, Producer

The production of Islam: Empire of Faith was a big challenge from the beginning, simply because it covered more than a thousand years of history and culture, and a very large part of the world.

But we really wanted to push beyond the conventional form of historical documentaries, which have depended on pans and tilts of still pictures, supplemented with landscapes and interviews. We wanted to find a way to use the visual techniques usually reserved for fiction motion pictures to tell a story of great scope that took place in pre-photographic history. This meant the project would require very large scale costumed re-enactments and equipment far beyond the ordinary documentary production package of camera, zoom lens, tripod and small light-kit.

We knew that we had to find a way to present images of cultural history — both re-enacted scenes and contemporary scenes of Islamic architecture and city life — in a way that would evoke the past, but maintain a sense of authenticity. The scenes would be dream-like and impressionistic but would still give viewers a sense that what they were seeing was accurate in historical terms.

We designed a production package that included a robotic crane with an 18-foot reach (Jimmi-jib), allowing us to fly the camera through architectural spaces, and a Steadicam that would allow for smooth camera moves through buildings at ground level — even mounting it on a truck to shoot running horses at full speed. We took a wide selection of lenses from extremely wide to telephoto and we also brought a high-speed camera for true slow-motion (500 frames per second) allowing us to slow an action down that actually took one second to fully twenty seconds on-screen. All of these taken together would provide an extraordinarily production palette. But it also meant that we had to travel with more than 40 cases of equipment — and do so in seven different countries. The logistics were severe.

The actual American camera crew was very small — Director of Photography Rege Becker (who also operated the Steadicam) and First Assistant Cameraman and Jib Operator Nick Gardner, who also shot second camera when required. The rest of the crew was hired and trained in each country — Syria, Egypt, Tunisia, Israel, Spain, Turkey and Iran.

It was in Iran that we used a motion picture company — with a crew of 50 — to produce the costumed re-enactments. Iran's foremost Art Director Majid Mirfakhraei, had to create locations, costumes and props for more than a thousand years of history — from the deserts 7th century Arabia, to the palaces of the Ottoman empire. The same team of stunt riders had to be made-up and redressed to play Arabian mounted soldiers, Crusader knights, Mongol raiders, Ghazi horsemen and Ottoman cavalry. A full sized, four-story replica of the holiest shrine in the Muslim world (the Kaaba in Saudi Arabia), had to be built in the deserts of Southern Iran and the vanished world of 8th century Baghdad had to be created in the ruins of a 19th century Persian palace. More than 300 costumes were required, as well as a dozen camels and riders, dozens of sheep and goats, an entire Bedouin encampment and the streets of Jerusalem in the 11th century — complete with market stalls and citizens.

This extraordinary production design, set in epic landscapes, gives the film a startling sense of scope and provides a remarkable window through which to examine the past. The film took 18 months to edit, and is supported by an original score by Leonard Lionnet.

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Monir

Tue, 28 Aug 2018 14:49:00 GMT

Monir
Buy Now: $320.00

This documentary looks at the life and work of Iranian artist Monir Shahroudy Farmanfarmaian, who first garnered attention in the 1970s when she pioneered contemporary forms of geometric mirror works. Monir created an artistic language that was informed by traditional Iranian craft and architecture; formative years spent in New York in the 1940s and 50s and ongoing conversations with some of the 20th century´s most experimental artists were also part of Monir's artistic universe.

The film takes an intimate look at the artist´s life and her practice, and explores how she has become one of the most innovative and influential artists working in the Middle East today. From her method of constructing mirror mosaics, to uncovering her past following the political changes in her own country and her subsequent migration to New York, and an artistic renewal sparked by her return to Tehran after an absence of 25 years, it offers an inspiring chronicle of Monir at the peak of her career.

“A necessary and moving documentary about one of the most remarkable artists ever born in Iran; this film beautifully captures the creative process and personal journey of a woman artist who after years of living a life in exile, returns home in her 80s, produces some of her best work, and finally receives the international recognition she so well deserves.”
— Shirin Neshat

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Plastic Flowers Never Die

Tue, 28 Aug 2018 10:58:00 GMT

Plastic Flowers Never Die
Buy Now: $295.00

The war with Iraq was the largest mobilization of the Iranian population, achieved primarily by producing and promoting a culture of martyrdom based on religious themes found in Shi'a Islam. Martyrdom became state policy. Khomeini made it clear the war was a spiritual one that the people, and not a professional army, would fight. It would be a sacred defense; a war of good against evil, of spirit against military might, where a human wave of believers would form a wall of defense against the Iraqis. Over 800,000 people died.

Anthropologist, writer and filmmaker Roxanne Varzi spent twelve years researching and writing about post-Revolution public culture in Iran. As an Iranian-American who was born in Iran and left shortly after the Revolution, she found that even though she had missed the war with Iraq, it remained omnipresent. She spent a year in Iran without a film permit speaking to ideologically driven mural painters, museum curators, war vets, and other cultural producers alongside the secular youth who were meant to consume the culture created by the government. The result is an experimental documentary and meditation on the aftermath of the war, and especially the mourning after.

SELECTED SCREENINGS & AWARDS

Noor Iranian Film Festival, USA, 2013

Iranian Film Festival Australia, Australia, 2012

3rd Women's Film Festival, Chennai, India, 2010

5th Annual Women's International Film & Arts Festival South Florida, 2010

Iranian Film Festival, San Francisco, CA, 2010

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