Made by Iranian-Canadian filmmaker Aref Mohammadi, the doc is competing at the 2021 edition of the BCEFF.
When Mohammadi hears the story of Qadamyar, a 120-year-old Kurdish tanbur virtuoso, he goes on a mission to discover more about the master’s spiritual life.
The film follows his journey to the west of Iran, where he unearths the ancient traditions and teachings of Qadamyar’s faith known as Yarsanism, and its relationship to the mysterious tanbur as a meditative musical instrument.
The film takes audiences on a musical and visual quest among rugged landscapes in the west of Iran to experience undiscovered voices and spiritual awakening.
It delivers the collective prayer of Yarsani tanbur players, as a practice to maintain their spiritual identity and search for inner beauty.
Iranian set, costume and production designer Iraj Raminfar is among the members of the jury, which also includes Allison Webb, Parjad Sharifi, Thomas Mkare, Kathy Kovosi, Allison Webb, Koom Kankesan, Hossein Martin Fazeli, Banafcheh Hejazi, and some others.
The vision of the BCEFF is to raise global awareness about the environment and promote a healthy future.
The first edition of the festival is slated for December 10-15, 2021.
MG/AG