Synopsis: Film portrays the endeavors of a group of Iranian master musicians who are trying to locate, restore and record a repertoire of compositions attributed to Abd al-Qadir Maraghi, a prominent composer who lived six centuries ago and greatly influenced the Middle Eastern classical music. During their six-year journey, the group is finally able to reassemble a major portion of these ballads by sifting through manuscripts and other documents deeply buried in the annals of Iranian and Turkish art history. Film follows these musicians as they rediscover forgotten music that deepens the roots of our music as far as six centuries.

Researcher, Writer & Director: Mojtaba Mirtahmasb
Editor: Jila Ipakchi
Camera: Mojtaba Mirtahmasb, Arastoo Givi
Sound: Mazyar Sheykh Mahboby
Sound Mix: Amirhosein Ghassemi
Director’s Assistants: Majid Bahrami, Mohammad Zamani
Color Correction: Kamran Saharkhiz, Farhad Ghodsi
Sound Crew: Shahab Rezaei, Farid Pirayesh, Ali Eskandarzadeh, Mahmoud Kashani, Saeed Hoseinpour, Mahdi Ebrahimzadeh, Amirhosein Hoseini
Sound Mix Assistant: Zohreh Aliakbari
Photo: Amir Niknam Pirzad, Aliakbar Shir-jian
Media Consultant: Amir Hosein Sanaei

With appearance of: Ustad Mohammad-reza Darvishi, Homayoun Shajarian, Negar Bouban, Sanaz Nakhjavani, Ali Samadpour, Siroos Jamali,
Arash Shahriari, Siamak Jahangiry, Behzad Mirzayi, Samer Habibi,
EhsanZabihifar, and Ustad Mohammad-reza Shajarian.

Associate Producer: Mohsen Samadbeyk
Producer: Mojtaba Mirtahmasb

Festivals:
1. 8th International Documentary Film Festival of Iran, Cinema Verite; Tehran, Nov. 30 – Dec. 7, 2014
2. 16th Grand Ceremony of Iranian Cinema, House of Cinema, September 2014
3. 11th Tasvir Film Festival, Tehran, Feb. 20 – Mar. 11, 2014
4. 32nd Fajr International film Festival, Tehran, Feb. 1 – Feb. 11, 2014

Prizes:
1. Candidate for receiving “Best Film” award, received the Festival’s trophy and Honorary Diploma for “Best Research” from 8th International Cinema Verite Festival; Tehran, December 2014
2. Candidate for receiving 3 awards for “Best Documentary Film”, “Best Directing” and “Best Research”, as well as receiving “Honorary Diploma for Best Sound” from 16th Grand Ceremony of Iranian Cinema, House of Cinema, September 2014
3. “Jury’s Special Prize for Documentary Film Section” from 32nd Fajr International film Festival, Tehran, February 2014

Due to visa delays filmmaker Mojtaba Mirtahmasb will not be able to attend. 

Mojtaba Mirtahmasb, born 1971, Kerman, Iran, graduated from Art University of Tehran in 1995. The following year, he directed his first documentary film titled “Banner”, one part in the 52-part series titled “Children of Iran”. Since then he has made nearly 30 documentary films. In 1990 and around the same time as he entered university, he began his professional activities in cinema as sound manager, still photographer, editor, assistant director, and program manager in several fiction and documentary films, collaborating with prominent Iranian directors Parviz Kimiavi, Mohsen Makhmalbaf and Ebrahim Mokhtari.
Mirtahmasb’s guild activities have been one area of his special concern in cinema. He joined the Iranian Documentary Filmmaker’s Association (IRDFA) as a member in 1998. From 2004 to 2010, he served as a member of the board of directors of IRDFA for three consecutive terms and one term as the chairman of the board of directors.
As member of jury, he served in a number of festivals in Iran and abroad, and has conducted a number of workshops on documentary filmmaking.

Mirtahmasb's best known films include:
-    This Is Not A Film, 2011 (with Jafar Panahi as co-director and co-producer )
-    Lady of the Roses, 2008
-    Home Is in Our Past, 2005 (with Hamed Mohammad Taheri as co-director)
-    Back Vocal, 2004
-    Off Beat, 2004
-    The River Still Has Fish, 2001
-    The first Presence, 1999
-    Banner, 1996

Campus map is available HERE.   |    Parking map is available HERE.

Cost : free and open to the public

Sponsor(s): Center for Near Eastern Studies, Program of Iranian Studies, With the Support of the Jahangir and Eleanor Amuzegar Chair in Iranian Studies