ARCHIPELAGO
Iran, Italy 2017
Feature Documentary - HD Film Single Channel - 1.85:1 - Color
Persian Audio Dolby 5.1 - English/Italian Subtitles - 60’30”
Co-directed and edited with Camilla Insom
Cinematography and Sound: Giulio Squillacciotti
Field Producers and Interpreters: Mania Kangah, Keyvan Peykar
Fixers: Hanieh Kordazemi, Azin Mohammadali
Post-production Sound: Marian Mentrup
Post-production Picture: Gianluca Rocco Palma, Diego Diaz
Translators: Setareh Alidoost, Zhaleh Nayebossadrian
Archipelago is a journey through ancient myths, exorcism rituals, sounds and spirits. In the south of Iran, on a group of islands of the Persian Gulf, humans and spirits coexist since centuries. The culture and traditions of these Islands are the result of the encounters between the African Diaspora, the Arab Countries and Iran, generating a unique system of syncretic beliefs. Spirits of different heritages and origins, called Bād, the Persian word for wind, moving through the air, take possession of the islanders bodies and can only be quieted through a music ceremony called the Zār Ritual. Thanks to an unprecedented access given to foreign film makers, the Film showcases stories and landscapes of the islanders daily life within the frame of the Rituals, giving, through pounding drum rhythms and wailing vocal chorus, a rare and unexpected glimpse of the Islamic Republic of Iran.
