Image of movie Khesht va ayeneh [Outtakes]
Monografie: Ebrahim Golestan

Khesht va ayeneh [Outtakes]

Brick And Mirror [Outtakes]
Ebrahim Golestan
Iran 1964
3 min
V'22

Über vier Jahre dokumentiert Golestan in WAVE, CORAL ANDROCK die Transformation des Eilandes Kharg – einst ein einsames Korallenriff, auf dem Reste antiker Grabstätten von früher Besiedelung zeugen – zum gigantischen Exporthafen im Persischen Golf. Golestan erzählt in betörendem Technicolor und ruhigem Tenor (nicht ganz ohne Stolz) die Geschichte der Industrialisierung seines Landes. Am Ende aber fällt der Satz, dass die Bevölkerung von diesem Reichtum nicht profitiert. Vielfach expliziter: THE CROWN JEWELS OF IRAN, Golestans anschließende, experimentierfreudige Arbeit über die Reichtümer, die das Königshaus allein in Form von Schmuck in der Iranischen Zentralbank gehortet hatte – wo die Juwelen bis heute ausgestellt sind. (Katja Wiederspahn)

In Anwesenheit von Ehsan Khoshbakht (Kurator).
Dieser Film läuft im Rahmen des Screenings SESSION #2: JEWELS OF EARTH, PART I.

Mit großem Dank an die Cineteca di Bologna für das Zustandekommen des Programms.

WAVE, CORAL AND ROCK chronicles the laying of oil pipelines in the south of Iran. Even though the directorial credit went to Alan Pendry – a former assistant to Bert Haanstra – he was, in fact, called in at the last minute when Golestan was hospitalised following a terrible car crash, forcing him to send the crew his instructions from his hospital bed. It is ultimately Golestan’s editing and commentary that elevate the story, and give the film its poetic style. Though the film looks at its subject from above and below, for the most part it stays close to the soil. It touches on other themes too, such as the “patient process of nature” and the “toil and intellect of man”, before ending with a highly political statement about the people of Iran, who have no share of the oil wealth.
WAVE, ROCK AND CORAL was followed by the even more controversial THE CROWN JEWELS OF IRAN. Ostensibly a showcase for the collection of precious jewels kept in the treasury of the Central Bank of Iran, it is in fact a bold attack on the treachery of the Persian kings. This, Golestan’s most visually dazzling documentary, is like a work of musical composition; as seen in the simple act of ploughing, which is spread across shots of various sizes and angles, creating an intimate visual symphony.

In the presence of Ehsan Khoshbakht (Curator).
This film will be shown as part of the screening SESSION #2: JEWELS OF EARTH, PART I.

We'd like to thank Cineteca di Bologna for making this program possible.

Credits
Fondazione Cineteca di Bologna
DCP
Schwarzweiß
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