The Songs of the Persian Gulf
Alireza Ghassemkhan
2013
52 minutes
The songs portrayed in this film are performed to relax from the pressure of the hard work at sea and the sadness filling sailors away from their families for extended periods of time. The music and rhythms are thought to be influenced by African music but a known influence is that of the poet Khayam, the great poet of Iran, and the world. The songs have survived the fundamental changes in marine culture in the Persian Gulf, and despite new technologies the songs as cultural heritage seem to survive, at least for now. The film mixes cinematographic and aesthetic styles in an attempt to convey a multi-‐sensorial impression of the songs and contextualise their usage.
Producer / Production company:
Bijan Mir Bagheri
Asia: