Using the Oxus river as a topos, this film explores themes of love and loss through the lives and musical poetry of the two most prominent and innovative Wakhi musicians in Central and South Asia, Qurbonsho in Tajikistan and Daulatsho in Afghanistan. In the 19th century their Wakhan homeland became a buffer zone between Czarist Russia and the British Empire and the river Oxus became a border. The condition of being separated by a river grounds the poets’ discussions of love and loss in their own lives as well as in their musical arts. Richard Wolf shot the film over 2.5 years (2012-2020).
The Deluxe Edition 2-disc set includes a Blu-ray featuring the 75-min festival cut and 124-min director’s cut, a CD soundtrack of music in Wakhi, Tajik, Persian, and Dari languages, and an accompanying booklet with songtexts and translations.
Selected Screenings & Awards
Martello Award, Cinque Ports International Film Festival, France and England, 2023
Middle Eastern Studies Association Film Festival, Montreal, 2023
Association for Asian Studies Film Expo, USA, 2023
RAI Film Festival, Bristol, UK, 2023
ICTM Prize for Best Documentary Film or Video, Int'l Council for Traditional Music, Portugal, 2022
Society for Visual Anthropology Film and Media Festival, USA, 2022
Manchester Lift-Off Film Festival, UK, 2022
Madrid International Film Festival, Spain, 2022
International Multicultural Film Festival, Australia, 2022
Middle East and Central Asia Music Forum, University of London, UK, 2022
Carpenter Center for the Visual Arts, Harvard University, USA, 2022
Department of Film and Television, National College of Arts, Pakistan, 2022