Santuri

2008/ Iran/ 106mins/ Dir: Dariush Mehrjui, Persian with subtitles

 Award-winning director Dariush Merhjui latest film was banned Iran as it tackles a variety of difficult issues.

Ali is a talented musician whose traditional family turns their back on, telling him to choose between his instrument and his family. Ali pursues a successful career in music and marries Hanieh, but eventually his drug addiction rips all of his relationships apart. With stellar performances from both Bahram Radan (Ali) and Golshifteh Farahani (Hanieh), the films challenges many of the current taboos in contemporary Iranian society. The soundtack, combining traditional santur with pop music, was a huge hit across Iran.

 

Part of the FESTIVAL OF MUSIC IN MIDDLE EASTERN CINEMA: A mini-festival of feature and documentary films, and a two-day conference, focusing on the rich musical heritage and the burgeoning new music scenes in the region. Hosted by City University London.