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Shahid

Forum 2024
© Leonie Huber
A wildly clever film that’s part reality, part fiction, part theatre and part musical. Director Narges Shahid Kalhor directs an actor playing a version of herself. She doesn’t want to be called “Shahid” (martyr) anymore, and is determined to change her name. Then, her heroic great-grandfather turns up – given the title of martyr 100 years ago in Iran – from whom his descendants inherited the name. He wants to dissuade his great-granddaughter, and shadows her in her quest along with his dancing friends. The Bavarian district administration sends her to a psychologist, who also has a difficult name… In the end, everyone is hindered: the director by bureaucracy, the actor by the director’s demands, her great-grandfather by his descendant’s determination and the film by itself. The winds of history blow her round and round in circles, through the scenic German town and through her own film shoot, as stereotypes and privileges are shaken up performatively and inventively, all while having a lot of fun along the way. Ambiguous autofiction with visual arcs, songs and poems: a tragicomic, defiant act of self-empowerment in exile.
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by Narges Kalhor
with Baharak Abdolifard, Nima Nazarinia, Narges Kalhor, Thomas Sprekelsen, Carine Huber, saLeh roZati, Noah Schuler, Lili Pongratz, Alon Bracha, Zuki Izak Ringart, Roman Singh, Ludger Lamers, Nina Wesemann Germany 2024 German, Farsi, English 84’ Colour World premiere Rating R 12

With

  • Baharak Abdolifard
  • Nima Nazarinia
  • Narges Kalhor
  • Thomas Sprekelsen
  • Carine Huber
  • saLeh roZati
  • Noah Schuler
  • Lili Pongratz
  • Alon Bracha
  • Zuki Izak Ringart
  • Roman Singh
  • Ludger Lamers
  • Nina Wesemann

Crew

Director Narges Kalhor
Screenplay Narges Kalhor, Aydin Alinejad
Cinematography Felix Pflieger
Editing Frank Müller, Narges Kalhor
Music Marja Burchard
Sound Design Philip Hutter
Sound Jesus Casquete
Production Design Ann-Kristin Büttner
Costumes Künstlerin aus dem Iran
Choreography Nina Wesemann
Animation Frank Patzke, Kevin Fuchs
Producer Michael Kalb
Commissioning Editor Lucia Haslauer
Co-Production ZDF / Das kleine Fernsehspiel Mainz

Produced by

Michael Kalb Filmproduktion

https://michael-kalb.de https://michael-kalb.de

Photos

Narges Kalhor

© Narges Kalhor

Born in 1984 in Tehran, Iran, Narges Kalhor studied directing and visual communication. In 2009, she applied for political asylum in Germany while in the country for a festival. Her graduation film In the Name of Scheherazade premiered at the Visions du Réel festival in Nyon and was awarded the Goethe Institut’s prize for best documentary film at DOK Leipzig.

Filmography

2002 Without Discourse; 5 min. 2004 Roshangari haie iek morgh; 16 min. 2006 We must have Died!; 5 min. 2008 Die Egge; 15 min. 2011 München–Teheran; 18 min. 2013 Shoot Me!; 30 min. 2014 Kafan; 5 min. 2015 Lavaschak; 30 min. 2016 Gis; 15 min. · Lovogary; 4 min. 2017 Neda; 5 min. 2019 In the Name of Scheherazade; 75 min. 2021 SuperEnki from Osterwald; short film 2023 Sensitive Content; short film 2024 Shahid

Bio- & filmography as of Berlinale 2024