Broken Whispers
- SYRIA, IRAN / 2023 / Arabic / Color, B&W / Digital File / 63 min
Directors: Amir Masoud Soheili, Amir Athar Soheili
Photography: Hassan Nahi
Editing: M.S. Dehghanpoor
Sound: Morteza Ghayour
Music: Mostafa Malek
Producer: Mahdi Motahar
Source, World Sales: Orimond Media
An elderly painter grown tired of making art is rehabilitating a musical instrument he found in the rubble. His art students take it into the streets to look for someone who might be able to play it. This leads to encounters between the children and various artists emotionally scarred by war. The painter says that the first casualty of war is art, its delicacy and quiet whispering making it soon inaudible and lost in the noise. The task is to pick up the pieces of broken voices and to put them together again. Art connects people to one another, heals wounded hearts, and gradually restores color to a world that has lost it. (IT)
[Director’s Statement] War, with its merciless grasp, lays waste to the essence of existence, splintering images, extinguishing songs, and casting a shadow over the vibrant hues of life. The war-scarred terrain lies in ruins, a desolate landscape where flourishing seems improbable. Yet, amidst the ashes, the redeeming power of art emerges, poised to reconstruct shattered fragments and supplant bitter recollections with the promise of renewal.
In the canvas of creation, painting emerges as the brush that breathes life into colors, while music becomes the symphony orchestrating the cadence of existence. Within Milad, we discover the fervor of life, the ardor that transforms darkness into luminance, and the optimism that forges a path towards a new world, brimming with hope and vitality.
Amir Masoud Soheili (right)Iranian filmmaker, writer and photographer. His film Blue-eyed Boy (2014) won the Student Award at Jogja-NETPAC Asian Film Festival and Best Short Film at the Breaking Down Barriers International Disability Film Festival; while Elephantbird (2018) won Best Short Film at Avanca Film Festival, Special Mention at Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival (PÖFF), and best short film at South Asian Film Festival of Montreal. Studied at Ferdowsi University, the Indonesian Art Institute, the Asian Film Academy, and the Busan Asian Film School. Presently studying for his scriptwriting MA at Kinoeyes.
Amir Athar Soheili (left)
Lecturer, writer, and director, boasting extensive cinema expertise. His films have received international recognition. Presently a film studies professor at Elmi-Karbordi University and president of Simiya Film company. In 2019, he directed the feature film Women Who Run with the Wolves (2019), nominated for Best Film at Kolkata Film Festival.